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Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
Image ID: 2020/bf60
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Other common names: Black Bugbane
Native
Family:
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Height: 3 to 8 ft.
Blooms: June to
September
Leaf Type:
divided
Bloom Size: 0.5 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Elongate clusters,
Regular blooms, 0 parts
Location: Butler-Freeport Trail
Date: 7/12/2020
Notes:
Foul odor.
More photos of this flower
Black Cohosh may be
easily confused with:
- Foam Flower
Black coshosh is am much larger plant with a divided leaf. Foam flower is generally less than a foot tall, with a roundish, lobed leaf.
Folklore, History, and Other Facts
Black cohosh is still used in commercially available menopause remedies.
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!
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.
