Actaea podocarpa, the mountain bugbane[2] or mountain black-cohosh, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is found in the Appalachian Mountains,[1] with a disjunct population in Illinois. It is found in rich, mesic forests often in boulder-strewn coves.[3]
| Actaea podocarpa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Actaea |
| Species: | A. podocarpa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Actaea podocarpa | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cimicifuga americana | |
Actaea podocarpa is a large perennial herb. It is one of the later flowering of the eastern Actaea, producing white flowers in summer through fall.
Both it and Actaea rubifolia bear resemblance to black cohosh, which, due to its vasodilation properties, is valuable for the treatment of menopause symptoms; harvesters of black cohosh sometimes mistake A. podocarpa for black cohosh, accidentally harvesting it.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ NRCS. "Actaea podocarpa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Flora of North America".
- ^ Churchill, John B.; Brosi, Sunshine; Howell, James. "Risk Assessment to State Rare Mountain Bugbane in Western Maryland" (PDF).
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