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Ranunculaceae FAMILY

Actaea rubra

Actaea rubra

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant are toxic[ 172 Title Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. Publication Author Schofield. J. J. Publisher Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska Year 2003 ISBN 0882403699 Description A nice guide to some useful plants in that area. ], apparently acting upon the heart[ 212 Title A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Publication Author Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. Publisher The Riverside Press Year 1963 ISBN 63-7093 Description Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses. ].

Botanical Description

Actaea rubra is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing one or more leafy stems around 80cm tall from a thick rootstock[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. The plant was commonly used as a medicinal herb by the native N. Americans, though its toxicity has led to it being little used in modern herbalism. A very ornamental plant, it is often grown in gardens[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate
Native RangeN. Europe - Norway, east through Russia to northern China, Japan. N. America - Arctic regions south to California and Philadelphia.
HabitatMoist 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 3,500 metres[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].