The white baneberry, Actaea alba (pachypoda), grows wild in moist, rich woods from Canada to Georgia and west as far as Oklahoma.
The plant is also known as snakeberry, necklace berry, doll eyes, and white cohosh.
The fuzzy, white flowers appear in May and June. They are not particularly showy, but the central masses of projecting white stamens are interesting. In late summer, the berries attract much attention.
They are waxy-white with a black-purple spot that is the remains of the stigma. It’s easy to tell when the berries are fully ripe—the thick stem on each berry turns red.
It’s hard to believe that such a pretty package could enclose something bad, but the berries are poisonous.
Berry Varieties
Another variety, Actaea rubra, has red berries. Spicata, called black baneberry, is native to Europe and Japan and has spirea-like foliage and modest plumes of white or bluish flowers. Like the others, its high season is autumn, when the berries turn purplish-black.
The erect, bushy perennial herbs grow two to three feet tall and have large leaves. They grow wild in North America, Asia, and Europe.
The word, Actaea, indicates the elder-like leaflets and is derived from aktea, the Elder.
Where To Plant Baneberries
The plants are useful for shady spots in the rockery, the border, and in wild gardens or along the edges of woods. Plant in early fall or spring in a partially shaded place.
A woodsy soil or ordinary soil to which leaf mold has been added is suitable. Clumps may be lifted, separated, and replanted in the spring.
44659 by Diane Roberson