Actaea rubra (Aiton) Willd.
baneberry (red baneberry)
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
baneberry (red baneberry)
Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from stout, branched, woody stem-base and fibrous roots; stems 1 to several, erect, 40-100 cm tall, usually branched, sparsely-hairy.
Leaves:
All stem leaves (one very low, and 1 or 2 mid- or upper-stem leaves), alternate, long-stalked, 2 to 3 times divided in threes or pinnately compound, the segments egg-shaped, (2) 3-9 cm long, the margins sharply cleft, irregularly toothed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of terminal and axillary, many-flowered racemes, the flowers radially symmetric; flower stalks 5-8 mm long; petals 5-10, white to cream-coloured, 2-3.5 mm long, egg- to spoon-shaped, clawed; sepals 3 to 5, early deciduous, petal-like, round, whitish- or purplish-green, 2-4 mm long; pistil 1; stamens many, longer than the petals.
Fruits:
Berries, red or sometimes white, widely ellipsoid, 5-11 mm long; stalks 6-15 mm long; seeds brown, cone- to wedge-shaped, 3-3.5 mm long, surface wrinkled.
Notes:
Fruit toxic to humans. The plant is usually red-fruited, however, the white-fruited forma neglecta (Gillman) Robins. can be more common in some localities.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Actaea rubra
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
987 | 0 | 2750 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
17 | 0 | 205 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
23 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 1 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3853 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(3), BWBS(294), CWH(189), ESSF(617), ICH(985), IDF(226), IMA(1), MH(8), MS(323), PP(4), SBPS(28), SBS(984), SWB(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to mesic streambanks, woodlands and forests in the lowland and montane zones; frequent throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to NJ, OH, SD, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Actaea rubra subsp. arguta (Nutt.) Hultén
Actaea rubra subsp. rubra (Aiton) Willd.