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Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Image ID: 2014/mtr172
![](/images/zoom.png)
Native
Family:
Berberidaceae (Barberry)
Height: 1 to 3 ft.
Blooms: April to
June
Leaf Type:
divided
Bloom Size: 0.5 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Individual flowers,
Regular blooms, 6 parts
Location: Montour Trail
Date: 5/4/2014
Notes:
Immature leaves are purple-black in color.
More photos of this flower
Folklore, History, and Other Facts
Blue cohosh was used by Native American women as a contraceptive (http://www.sisterzeus.com/BlueCoh.htm).
The following information is taken from my great-grandmother's copy of
The Herbalist (1918).
This information is presented for historic purposes only, as many remedies recommended by this book
are toxic!
![page 1](herbology/258_1.jpg)
![page 2](herbology/258_2.jpg)
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
![The Herbalist](images/herbbook.jpg)