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Actaea pachypoda Actaea pachypoda Elliot Actaea alba auct. non (L.) Mill. White Baneberry, Doll’s Eyes
Baneberries are members of the buttercup family. They are natives of eastern North America, and live in wooded areas. Identification: If it is the time of year for them, baneberries’ most distinguishing feature is, well, the berries. Relatively few plants produce white berries, and the small black or purplish dots at one end of each berry led to the common name “doll’s eyes.” The stalks supporting the berries are conspicuously colored (photo 7). If it isn’t the time of year for the berries, the sharp-toothed leaf clusters are fairly distinctive in shape. In addition to the red berries, red baneberries have rounder flower clusters, vs. the more cone-shaped cluster in white baneberries. On all of the baneberries, leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. Some variants are compared below: |
1 · 11/27/2009 · ME
2 · 8/18/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA |
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Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa |
You are here Actaea pachypoda |
Actaea rubra |
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| Flowers | Flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. | Flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. | Feathery flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. Flowers have a roselike fragrance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fruit | Red berries supported by pedicels that are ⅛" (3 mm) or more in thickness. Instead of the tomato red of red baneberry, these berries have a more luminous deep magenta color, becoming more purplish with time. | White berries supported by red pedicels that are ⅛" (3 mm) or more in thickness. Berry tips have black-purple spot. | Bright or dark red, oval berries are supported by pedicels that are less than ⅛" (3 mm) thick. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occurrence | Rare | Common | Common | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Edibility: 
All parts of this plant are poisonous. As few as two of these
very bitter berries may
be fatal to children; a half dozen can cause cardiac arrest and bizarre neurological symptoms in an adult. The roots and leaves also contain several poisons that are dangerous when ingested and can cause skin blisters.
Online References:
Actaea pachypoda on Missouriplants.com
Actaea pachypoda at Illinois Wildflowers
Actaea pachypoda on Wikipedia
Actaea pachypoda at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Actaea pachypoda on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
Actaea pachypoda on CalPhotos
Actaea pachypoda on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Actaea pachypoda on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Actaea pachypoda on eFloras
3 · 8/14/2015 · Roost Trail, Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm) 
4 · 8/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) 
5 · 7/23/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 15 cm) 
6 · 8/24/2018 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm) 
7 · Finding this in the woods—and puzzling over it on and off for the next six months—got me interested in wild plants in the first place. · 9/23/2007 · Near Mike & Ellen’s, Milford, PA
≈ 3 × 2" (7.9 × 5.3 cm) 
8 · 9/6/2018 · By Kathleen Williamson 
9 · 8/18/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 9 × 14" (23 × 35 cm) 
10 · Immature fruit · 7/3/2005 · Pepperell, MA 
11 · 9/25/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, MA
≈ 3½ × 3½" (8.6 × 9.1 cm) 
12 · 5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, MA
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) 
Actaea pachypoda description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 12 Oct 2018.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
13 · 8/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm) 
14 · 9/25/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (21 × 15 cm) 
15 · 9/6/2010 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Townsend, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) 
16 · 9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) 
17 · 8/16/2012 · Mt. Tom State Reservation, Beau Bridge Trail, Holyoke, MA
≈ 3 × 3" (8.3 × 7.7 cm) 
18 · 8/18/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) 
19 · 5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, NH
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm) 
20 · 5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, NH
≈ 7 × 6" (17 × 14 cm) 
21 · 9/29/2016 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenberg, MA 
22 · 5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm) 
23 · 8/22/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Hollis, NH
≈ 6 × 5" (14 × 12 cm) 
24 · These berries will ripen to white. · 7/23/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH
≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 14 cm) 
Range:
