Actaea racemosa L. var. racemosa
Black bugbane
Many common names of black cohosh include “bugbane,” since the unpleasant-smelling flowers tend to repel insects. This is a North American native. What’s a cohosh? A native American word for rough—a reference to the bumpy roots. See also the unrelated plant blue cohosh.
Plants: 3–6′ (91–182 cm) tall, rarely to 9′ (2.7 m); and fast-growing.
Leaves: Toothed, irregular in shape, in roughly triangular clusters tipped by a larger three-lobed leaflets. Leaflets are 1–4″ (3–10 cm) long.
Flowers: The ill-smelling flowers form long, attractive, feathery-looking spikes 6–24″ (15–60 cm) long—hence the name “fairy candles.” Individual flowers have 4-5 sepals and are about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) in diameter.
Fruits: ⅛–¼″ (6–9 mm) long, thick, and leathery.
Habitats: Rich soils in moist woods, ravines.
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Some similar plants. |
Medical: Native Americans used extracts of this plant as analgesics, sedatives, or anti inflammatory drugs; for example, in the treatment of snake bites. Black cohosh is used by some today to relieve menopausal symptoms, but there are no rigorous studies to support this.
Online References:
Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt.
7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 13 × 10″ (34 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others |
| Order | Ranunculales | Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots” |
| Family | Ranunculaceae | Buttercup family |
| Genus | Actaea | From ancient Greek, signifying a wet habitat and its leaves’ similarity to Sambucus leaves |
| Species | racemosa | Latin for “has a raceme,” or flower spike (from Stearn’s Botanical Latin) |
| var. | racemosa | Latin for “has a raceme,” or flower spike (from Stearn’s Botanical Latin) |
Actaea racemosa var. racemosa description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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