FloraResults

Synonym

Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt.

Carex Section

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Meaning of Scientific Name

Actaea: related to its wet habitat; racemosa: having racemes

Native Plant

Yes

Life Form

Perennial Herb

Phenology (Flowering Period)

June-July

Physiographic Province

County Distribution

Habitat

Rich woodlands and slopes

State Status

Common

Piedmont Status

Common

Coastal Plain Status

Common

Global Rank

Uncommon

Federal Status

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Geographic Affinity

Northern

Species at Limit of Distribution

North American Distribution (Non-indigenous Species)

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Coefficient of Conservatism

8

Invasive

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Invasive Watchlist

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Global Origin (Non-native Species)

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Wildlife Values

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Medicinal Properties

Part used: Root. Used internally as a tea or tincture for muscle pain and spasms such as fibromyalgia, back pain, spastic bladder, and restless leg syndrome. Also used for reproductive problems with pain, menopausal symptoms of anxiety and depression, mildly useful for hot flashes, and effective for hormonal depression.

ID Notes

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Additional Info

Collections of this species with unusually dissected leaves have been made in Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. These collections have been treated as a form of the species [Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt. forma dissecta (A. Gray) Fern., and as a variety [C. racemosa var. dissecta A. Gray; Actaea racemosa L. var. dissecta (A. Gray) J. Compton]. Perhaps best treated as a form, it was first collected by Albert Commons (1829-1919) in 1865 and subsequently in 1871 and 1872, along the Brandywine Creek north of Wilmington. The global conservation status of this species, despite its range-wide relative abundance, reflects population declines inferred from continued collection pressure from the medicinal plant industry.

Habitats in which this plant occurs