Actaea spicata
Species of plant
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Through Flowering plant, Europe and Perennial
Description
Actaea spicata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 65 cm (2 ft 2 in) tall. The basal leaves are large, biternate or bipinnate. The leaflets are more-or-less toothed. The flowers are white, with 3–6 petaloid sepals, and are produced in an erect raceme. The fruit is a berry, black when ripe and 10–13 mm (0.4–0.5 in) across. Its fruit persists for an average of 57.5 days, and bears an average of 11.4 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 90.7% water, and their dry weight includes 2.4% carbohydrates (possibly the lowest of any European fleshy fruit) and 1.0% lipids.
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Taxonomy
Actaea spicata was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Two varieties have been recognized:
- Actaea spicata var. spicata. Europe, northwestern Asia.
- Actaea spicata var. acuminata (syn. A. acuminata). Pakistan, India and the Himalayas, above 2,000 m (6,560 ft) altitude.
Ecology
Granivorous rodents sometimes remove the fruits, consuming most of the seeds but only a small proportion of the fruit's pulp. As some seeds inevitably escape predation, they also act as seed dispersers.
Cultivation
Actaea spicata is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is toxic by ingestion, and is also an irritant, so requires careful handling. It has been used as a homeopathic remedy for arthritis and joint pain.