ABSTRACT
The genus Actaea comprises 15 species of erect perennial plants of northern temperate distribution. Actaea racemosa, commonly called black cohosh, is native to eastern North America. Black cohosh, familiar to herb-
alists and gardeners, is a wildflower of moist or dry woods cultivated as an ornamental. It is typically found in shady, rich soil in woods from Maine to Ontario and Wisconsin and south to Georgia. The hardy perennial produces clumps of quadrangular stems up to 3 m tall. The cylindrical rhizomes (1-2.5 cm thick and 2-15 cm long) appear knotted and show deep radiating scars. Thin roots extend from their sides. Black cohosh has large, alternate, three-pinnately compound leaves with toothed edges, the middle lobe being the largest. The terminal leaflet is three-lobed. The flowers are petalless with greenish-white sepals borne in tall racemes well above the foliage. Blooming from June through September, the flowers are thought to be pollinated by flesh flies (Strauch, 1995; Leung and Foster, 1996; Snow, 1996).
