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 The genus was redefined to include Cimicifuga and Souliea in the 1990s (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. The number of species in Actaea is 25–30 using this concept. Other botanists (e.g., Hoffman 1999, Wang et al. 1999, Lee & Park 2004, Wang et al. 2009) 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

Plants of the World Online currently (2023) includes:Plants of the World Online: Actaea L. (retrieved 7 October 2023) Actaea arizonica (S.Watson) J.Compton – Arizona bugbane Actaea asiatica H.Hara Actaea austrokoreana (H.W.Lee & C.W.Park) Cubey Actaea bifida (Nakai) J.Compton Actaea biternata (Siebold & Zucc.) Prantl Actaea brachycarpa (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton Actaea cimicifuga L. Actaea cordifolia DC. Actaea dahurica (Turcz. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Franch. (syn. Cimicifuga dahurica) - Sheng ma in Chinese () Actaea elata (Nutt.) Prantl Actaea erythrocarpa (Fisch.) Kom. Actaea europaea (Schipcz.) J.Compton Actaea frigida (Royle) Prantl Actaea heracleifolia (Kom.) J.Compton Actaea japonica Thunb. Actaea kashmiriana (J.Compton & Hedd.) J.Compton Actaea laciniata (S.Watson) J.Compton Actaea lancifoliolata (X.F.Pu & M.R.Jia) J.P.Luo, Q.Yuan & Q.E.Yang Actaea × ludovicii B.Boivin Actaea matsumurae (Nakai) J.Compton & Hedd. – Kamchatka bugbane, Japanese bugbane Actaea muliensis J.P.Luo, Q.E.Yang & Q.Yuan Actaea nanchuanensis (P.K.Hsiao) J.P.Luo, Q.Yuan & Q.E.Yang Actaea pachypoda Elliott – white baneberry, white cohosh, doll's eyes Actaea podocarpa DC. Actaea purpurea (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton Actaea racemosa L. – black cohosh, black bugbane Actaea rubifolia (Kearney) Kartesz Actaea rubra (Aiton) Willd. (syn. Actaea erythrocarpa) – red baneberry Actaea simplex (DC.) Wormsk. ex Prantl Actaea spicata L. (syn. Actaea alba) – baneberry, herb christopher - type species Actaea taiwanensis J.Compton, Hedd. & T.Y.Yang Actaea vaginata (Maxim.) J.Compton Actaea yunnanensis (P.K.Hsiao) J.Compton

Etymology 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.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). p 35

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.

Use and toxicity

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), but all parts of the plant have some level of toxicity. Baneberries contain the glycoside ranunculin and other irritant compounds. 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. 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. 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.

Children have been poisoned by eating the waxy, shiny red or white berries. It is also toxic to rabbits. 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.

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.

References References

Bibliography

RHS Plant Finder https://web.archive.org/web/20070711161100/http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSPlantFinder/plantfinder.asp

Germplasm Resources Information Network: Actaea (treats genus in broad sense) Flora of China: Actaea (treats genus in narrow sense) Flora of North America: Actaea (treats genus in narrow sense) Edible and Medicinal plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford,

Wikimedia