Cimicifuga (Ranunculaceae) Black cohosh

Cimicifuga is a genus of plants containing between 12 and 18 species from Asia and North America. At the moment they seem to be hopelessly confused because of crossing and the shifting around of names. It is now considered to be in the ‘actaea’ genus (?). There are a large amount of recent ornamental varieties, with names like ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ and ‘Chocaholic’, that have been selected for the rich purple color of the stems and leaves and are part of the ‘atropurpurea’ group. These selections seem to come from the Asian species ‘simplex’ or ‘racemosa’ from North America. These are large, sometimes up to 8 ft, and later flowering varieties. They are sweet smelling and make excellent garden plants. One of the common names, ‘Bugbane’ refers to a species with particularly funky smelling flowers that was used to repel bedbugs. This is probably the ‘Foetida’ (also renamed) species which is native to Siberia and Eastern Asia, and usually flowers earlier in the summer. I have also seen a Cimicifuga that can be quite invasive with any small piece of root sending up a plant. I have yet to find a positive identification for this one, but suffice to say it is quite invasive in a garden setting. As you can see, this plant is utterly confusing to positively ID. In the garden it likes rich soil and is often found growing in the understory, but in our cool Northeastern climate it is best grown in even sun or it tends to lean. Also, the sun will bring out the purple color of the best ornamental varieties. The medicinal uses are also suspect with a lot of references to liver damage and even hepatitis. There are probably safer alternatives.