Actaea rubra
| Actaea rubra | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Actaea rubra (common name: red baneberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame or outdoors in a moist shaded seedbed[1]. The seed has a limited viability[1], it can also be sown in spring in a cold frame but germination rates may be poor. 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 March or October.
Cultivation: Tolerates most conditions[2], but prefers a humus-rich moist soil in light shade[1][2] doing well amongst shrubs and in light woods[3]. Also succeeds in denser shade[4].
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[4].
A very ornamental plant[3].
Actaea rubra is part of a circumboreal complex and is very similar to the black-fruited European species A . spicata (L.) with which it is sometimes considered conspecific[5]. The western North American plants of A . rubra have been called A . arguta and were distinguished on the basis of their smaller berries, more pubescent leaves, and narrow, more dissected leaflets. Those distinctions, however, are weak; specimens from the West often have fruits and leaves similar to those of plants from the East[5].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[6].
Range: N. America - Alaska to California and eastwards to Newfoundland and Philadelphia.
Habitat: Moist shady areas, mostly in deciduous forests but also in mixed coniferous forests, open pine or spruce woodlands, swales, stream banks and swamps from sea level to 3500 metres[5].
Medicinal: The whole plant, but especially the root, is analgesic, antirheumatic, galactogogue and rubefacient[7][8]. The plant was often used medicinally by North American Indian tribes, though modern users should be aware of the plants potential toxicity. A tea made from the root is used as an appetizer, in the treatment of stomach pains, coughs, colds, menstrual irregularities, post partum pains, to increase milk flow and as a purgative after childbirth[9][8].
Great caution should be employed if using this plant internally, the rootstock is a violent purgative, irritant and emetic[10].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are toxic[7], apparently acting upon the heart[10].
Also Known As: A. arguta. Nutt.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Flora of North America.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.