The fluffy, white flower balls and red-berried clusters of this two-foot perennial add texture and color to deeply shaded woodlands and gardens. Finely divided, bright green foliage provides attractive cover when flowers and berries are gone. Red baneberry is found in moist, rich wood or thickets in Ohio, where it's listed as a threatened species. It grows in a clump and spreads slowly by rhizomes, but it acts as a ground cover when planted in groups.
Caution: berries are highly toxic to humans, though birds can safely consume them. Mammals avoid this plant.
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 2-3' tall.
Prefers full shade or dappled light.
Does best in fertile, well-drained moist to wet soils and tolerates poorly drained soils. Adapts to clay that is amended with organic matter.
Blooms end of May-July. Berries follow soon after.
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
Blackfoot people boiled the root and used it as a cold remedy. They mixed the root with spruce needles to treat stomach issues.
Some Native Americans used the berry juice to poison arrow tips.
Warning: European species are reported to have caused deaths in children, but no deaths have been reported in North America. However, the berries are toxic to mammals. The fruits contain ranunculin, which breaks down into a glucose and a chemical called protoanemonin. This toxin causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, spasms, acute hepatitis, jaundice, or paralysis.
Resources:
Friends of Kananaskis Country
https://kananaskis.org/red-baneberry/
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/actaea-rubra
Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/flowering-plants/red-baneberry
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