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Actaea (plant)

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"Baneberry" redirects here. For the community in the United States, see Baneberry, Tennessee. For the botched nuclear test, see Yucca Flat § Baneberry.

Actaea
Actaea rubra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamily: Ranunculoideae
Tribe: Cimicifugeae
Genus: Actaea
L.
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Actinospora Turcz. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  • Actinospora Turcz.
  • Botrophis Raf.
  • Christophoriana Mill.
  • Cimicifuga Wernisch.
  • Dipleina Raf.
  • Macrotrys Raf.
  • Megotrys Raf.
  • Pityrosperma Siebold & Zucc.
  • Souliea Franch.
  • Thalictrodes Kuntze

Actaea, commonly called baneberry, bugbane and cohosh, is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae, native to subtropical, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

Taxonomy

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The genus was redefined to include Cimicifuga and Souliea in the 1990s[2] (Compton et al. 1998, Compton & Culham 2002, Gao et al. 2006, RHS Plant Finder, 2007) based on combined evidence from DNA sequence data, similarity in biochemical constituents and on morphology returning it to the original Linnean concept of the genus.[3] The number of species in Actaea is to 25–30 using this concept. Other botanists (e.g., Hoffman 1999, Wang et al. 1999, Lee & Park 2004, Wang et al. 2009[4]) reject this merger because only one group (Actaea) have fleshy fruit while the remainder have dry fruit. However, this narrower generic concept works for only a single morphological character and other characters such as number of carpels moves the generic boundary. The genus is treated here in its broader sense.

Species

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Cimicifuga Brunette or "Brunette bugbane" is a variety of A. simplex (U.K.)

Plants of the World Online currently (2023) includes:[5]

  1. Actaea arizonica (S.Watson) J.Compton – Arizona bugbane
  2. Actaea asiatica H.Hara
  3. Actaea austrokoreana (H.W.Lee & C.W.Park) Cubey
  4. Actaea bifida (Nakai) J.Compton
  5. Actaea biternata (Siebold & Zucc.) Prantl
  6. Actaea brachycarpa (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton
  7. Actaea cimicifuga L.
  8. Actaea cordifolia DC.
  9. Actaea dahurica (Turcz. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Franch. (syn. Cimicifuga dahurica) - Sheng ma in Chinese (Chinese: 升麻; pinyin: Shēng má)
  10. Actaea elata (Nutt.) Prantl
  11. Actaea erythrocarpa (Fisch.) Kom.
  12. Actaea europaea (Schipcz.) J.Compton
  13. Actaea frigida (Royle) Prantl
  14. Actaea heracleifolia (Kom.) J.Compton
  15. Actaea japonica Thunb.
  16. Actaea kashmiriana (J.Compton & Hedd.) J.Compton
  17. Actaea laciniata (S.Watson) J.Compton
  18. Actaea lancifoliolata (X.F.Pu & M.R.Jia) J.P.Luo, Q.Yuan & Q.E.Yang
  19. Actaea × ludovicii B.Boivin
  20. Actaea matsumurae (Nakai) J.Compton & Hedd. – Kamchatka bugbane, Japanese bugbane
  21. Actaea muliensis J.P.Luo, Q.E.Yang & Q.Yuan
  22. Actaea nanchuanensis (P.K.Hsiao) J.P.Luo, Q.Yuan & Q.E.Yang
  23. Actaea pachypoda Elliott – white baneberry, white cohosh, doll's eyes
  24. Actaea podocarpa DC.
  25. Actaea purpurea (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton
  26. Actaea racemosa L. – black cohosh, black bugbane
  27. Actaea rubifolia (Kearney) Kartesz
  28. Actaea rubra (Aiton) Willd. (syn. Actaea erythrocarpa) – red baneberry
  29. Actaea simplex (DC.) Wormsk. ex Prantl
  30. Actaea spicata L. (syn. Actaea alba) – baneberry, herb christopher - type species
  31. Actaea taiwanensis J.Compton, Hedd. & T.Y.Yang
  32. Actaea vaginata (Maxim.) J.Compton
  33. Actaea yunnanensis (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton

Etymology

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Actaea is derived from the Greek name for elder (Sambucus); it was named by Pliny because the leaves of Actaea and Sambucus are similar in appearance.[6]

The name Actaea alba (L.) Mill. is a confused one (Fernald 1940); although described as an American species (now named A. pachypoda), the illustration on which the description was based was actually a picture of the European A. spicata, and strictly, the name is therefore a synonym of the European species. Some texts, however, still treat A. pachypoda under this name.[citation needed]

Use and toxicity

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White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) in Canada

Baneberry contains cardiac toxins that can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle. The berries are the most poisonous part of the plant (hence the name baneberry). Baneberries contain the glycoside ranunculin and other irritant compounds.[7] The particular Actaea species Actaea pachypoda (white baneberry or "doll’s eyes") and Actaea rubra (red baneberry) are toxic to humans primarily due to protoanemonin. Protoanemonin is produced when plant tissue is damaged, such as by chewing, and it acts as a potent irritant to the mucous membranes. When ingested, it can cause symptoms such as a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, excessive salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.[8] In addition to protoanemonin, baneberry contains other compounds with cardiotoxic effects. These can interfere with heart function, leading to symptoms such as dizziness, heart palpitations, and in severe cases, cardiac arrest and death. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant, especially those of the white baneberry, although all parts contain some level of toxicity. Poisonings in adults are rare because the berries have an extremely bitter taste that typically discourages consumption. Human or livestock fatalities associated with baneberry have not been confirmed in the United States.[9]

Children have been poisoned by eating the waxy, shiny red or white berries. It is also toxic to rabbits.[10] The berries are harmless to birds, the plant's primary seed disperser.

The synonym Cimicifuga, meaning 'bed bug repellent', has traditional uses: for example, in pharmacology, Cimicifugae rhizoma is a herbal medicine Sheng ma, a Chinese preparation which may be extracted from the roots of A. dahurica and A. heracleifolia. The roots of A. rubra contain β-sitosterol glucoside.[11]

Actaea species are in the same subfamily as plants in the genus Aconitum, a highly toxic plant genus which contains wolfbane and several varieties of monkshood.[12]

References

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References

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  1. ^ "Actaea L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ Compton, James A.; Culham, Alastair; Jury, Stephen L. (1998). "Reclassification of Actaea to include Cimicifuga and Souliea (Ranunculaceae): Phytogeny inferred from morphology, nrDNA ITS, and cpDNA trnL-F sequence variation". Taxon. 47 (3): 593–634. doi:10.2307/1223580. JSTOR 1223580.
  3. ^ Compton, James A.; Culham, Alastair (2002). "Phylogeny and Circumscription of Tribe Actaeeae (Ranunculaceae)". Systematic Botany. 27 (3): 502–511. doi:10.1043/0363-6445-27.3.502 (inactive 1 November 2024). JSTOR 3093958.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  4. ^ Wang et al 2009.
  5. ^ Plants of the World Online: Actaea L. (retrieved 7 October 2023)
  6. ^ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). p 35
  7. ^ "Baneberry". Colorado State University. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ^ Hack, Jason (15 December 2020). "Toxicology Answer: What Are the Side Effects of Chewing This Beautiful Bloom?". ACEP Now. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Clematis and other plants in the buttercup family contain the compound ranunculin. Ranunculin is a glycosidic precursor that gets converted to the vesicant protoanemonin by enzymes released when the plant is chewed. This toxic compound is in highest concentration in the leaves and sap and can cause irritation and skin blistering. If eaten, it will cause burning of mouth and mucous membranes, salivation, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, and vomiting. Hematuria and renal function effects have also been described.
  9. ^ Knight, Anthony P.; Walter, Richard G. (2003). "Plants Affecting the Digestive System (Part I)". A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America.
  10. ^ Bergstrøm, Camilla. "Toxic plants" (PDF). Feeding rabbits.
  11. ^ Ali, Zulfiqar; Khan, Shabana; Khan, Ikhlas (2006). "Phytochemical Study of Actaea rubra and Biological Screenings of Isolates". Planta Medica. 72 (14): 1350–2. Bibcode:2006PlMed..72.1350A. doi:10.1055/s-2006-951696. PMID 17024608. S2CID 31141951.
  12. ^ Tilford, Gregory L. (2009) [1997]. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87842-359-0.[page needed]

Bibliography

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Wikimedia

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Actaea.
Wikispecies has information related to Actaea (Ranunculaceae).
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