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- Baneberry - Red (Actaea rubra)
Baneberry - Red (Actaea rubra)
Red Baneberry is a favorite species for cool shade gardens and has alluring foliage that reaches an average height of 2 feet. Red Baneberry bears fluffy clusters of small white flowers in spring. After flowering, the plant continues to provide color and texture with the berries that ensue in mid to late summer. The fruits are brilliant red, though sometimes white, but with a smaller, less prominent dark spot as seen in Actaea pachypoda (Doll's Eyes). Before the fruits mature, the two species can be distinguished by the thickness and coloring of the pedicels (the small stem connecting individual flowers to the main stem) - Red Baneberry exhibits more slender, green pedicels while Doll's Eyes will have a thicker, red tinted pedicels.
Baneberry plants are poisonous and should never be eaten.
Sun Exposure - Shade
Soil Moisture - Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height - 2 feet
Bloom Time - April, May
Bloom Color - White
Photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery.