Actaea Species, Baneberry, Red Baneberry, Snakeberry

Red Baneberry is a lovely woodland native with fine-textured foliage and a light and airy texture. Its lacy leaves resemble those of Asti...Read Morelbe and its similar needs make it a great native substitute. In late spring and early summer lightly scented, delicate white flowers appear above the foliage. Flowers give way to clusters of bright red berries in late summer that are attractive to mammals and many songbirds. Planted in groups, it is a lovely groundcover and it combines well with other woodland natives such as wild ginger and wood ferns.

Grow Actaea rubra in part or full shade and moist, rich soils. It will be happy in the shade of conifers or deciduous trees, but will have more flowers if morning or afternoon sun is available. Baneberry benefits from allowing leaf litter to remain at the base or mulching with composted leaves. A late fall cut back is not necessary for the plant, but will tidy up the garden for winter.

Birds that are attracted to Actaea fruit include Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, American Robin, Gray Cheeked Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, and Grouse. Some small mammals also eat the berries including deer mice, white-footed mice, red squirrel, eastern chipmunks, and red-backed voles. Several species of birds that use baneberry eat the fruit but void the seeds, while some of the small mammals remove and eat the seeds leaving the the pulp.

All parts of Actaea rubra are poisonous, but the taste of the berries and leaves is extremely bitter so a toxic dose is unlikely.

(Height usually 18-30 inches, spread 18-24 inches)

Red Baneberry often grow beneath the cottonwood trees in Southcentral Alaska. It has a compact growing habit, and both the tiny clustered...Read More flowers and bright red berries are attractive. Though it transplants well, this plant should not be brought into the garden if there is any likelihood that the berries will be eaten, since they are extremely poisoness.

A native of North America that can be found growing in rich woods and thickets from Canada south to West Virginia. It's a bushy plant wit...Read Moreh divided leaves and clusters of 2-inch racemes of tiny white flowers. The faded flowers will form into clusters of bright red berries that last well into autumn. Berries are poisonous and caution should be taken if you have children. Plants prefer cool, moist and fertile soil in partial shade making them ideal for a woodland garden.