Actaea pachypoda
| Actaea pachypoda | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Actaea pachypoda (common name: white baneberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame or in a sheltered outdoor bed[1]. Completely remove the seed pulp since this can inhibit germination. Stored seed does not usually germinate well[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Tolerates most conditions[2], but prefers a humus-rich moist soil in light shade[1][2].
Grows best in the wild or woodland garden[1].
This species is closely related to A. rubra[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - S. Canada to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and Minnesota.
Habitat: Deciduous forests, less often with pines, junipers, or other conifers[3].
Medicinal: The whole plant, but especially the root, is anticonvulsive, antirheumatic, emmenagogue, mildly hypnotic, oxytocic and stimulant[4][5]. Use with caution, see the notes above on toxicity[6]. A decoction of the roots has been used in the treatment of coughs, colds, rheumatism and syphilis[7][5]. It is also used in small doses to ease the pain of childbirth[6] and is used as a stimulant to revive and rally patients at the point of death[5]. An infusion of the roots has been used externally to treat itchy skin and as a gargle for sore throats[5].
An infusion of leaves was drunk by the women of some Indian tribes in order to stimulate the flow of milk[7].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are toxic, causing severe gastrointestinal inflammation and skin blisters[6].
Also Known As: A. pachypoda. Elliott.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Flora of North America.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.