Actaea spicata
Species of plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Actaea spicata, the baneberry[4] or herb Christopher,[5] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Actaea, native from Europe to western Siberia and northern Iran.[3] It is often found on limestone edges and in deciduous woodland; key factors are shade, low competition, and a cool, protected root run.[6]
| Actaea spicata | |
|---|---|
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| 19th century illustration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Actaea |
| Species: | A. spicata |
| Binomial name | |
| Actaea spicata | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Description
Actaea spicata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 65 cm (2 ft 2 in) tall. The basal leaves are large, biternate or bipinnate. The leaflets are more-or-less toothed. The flowers are white, with 3–6 petaloid sepals, and are produced in an erect raceme. The fruit is a berry, black when ripe and 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) across.[7][8] Its fruit persists for an average of 57.5 days, and bears an average of 11.4 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 90.7% water, and their dry weight includes 2.4% carbohydrates (possibly the lowest of any European fleshy fruit) and 1.0% lipids.[9]
Taxonomy
Actaea spicata was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2] Two varieties have been recognized:[10]
- Actaea spicata var. spicata. Europe, northwestern Asia.
- Actaea spicata var. acuminata (syn. A. acuminata). Pakistan, India and the Himalayas, above 2,000 m (6,560 ft) altitude.
Ecology
Granivorous rodents sometimes remove the fruits, consuming most of the seeds but only a small proportion of the fruit's pulp. As some seeds inevitably escape predation, they also act as seed dispersers.[11]
Cultivation
Actaea spicata is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is toxic by ingestion, and is also an irritant, so requires careful handling.[12] It has been used as a homeopathic remedy for arthritis and joint pain.[13]
