A quick glance from a distance could cause you to mistake the flower panicle of Black Bugbane for Culver's Root. However, up closer everything is different.

Stems: Altogether, the plant and the tall flower panicle can reach 6 to 8 feet in height. Stems are light green and smooth.

Leaves: The large leaves are few but compound, 2 to 3 parted with 20 to 70 leaflets and are positioned toward the bottom of the tall stems. The large leaflets have coarse teeth, angled stalks and 3 prominent veins which are most noticeable on the terminal leaflet; leaflets are usually without hair. The terminal leaflet is usually 3-lobed but lateral leaflets may have shallower lobes. Upper stem leaves are bracts, not true leaves. Leaf joints frequently are purple.

Inflorescence: The inflorescence is an erect tall, but narrow, panicle composed of raceme-like branches, with many small white flowers that appear fuzzy from a distance. At the base of the panicle is a single leafy bract.

Flowers: Flowers have 4 sepals that disappear early and the 4 white petals are very small, with clawed bases, giving the flowers the appearance of nothing but stamens, of which there are 55 to over 100. Anthers are white with white filaments. There is one pistil with a short thick style. Each flower is on a short stalk (pedicle).

Seeds form in follicles in two rows, and when mature the follicle splits open on one side to release the seeds which are brown, flattened partial hemispheres, smooth but with a rough ridge and have a small beak. Seeds require a warm moist period followed by a cold moist period in order to germinate. When planted outdoors they require a year to germinate.

 

Habitat: Black Bugbane grows from a rhizomatous root system, preferring rich soil with partial sun to open shade in moist woods. The root system forms a good clump over time but does not aggressively spread. The flowers have an unpleasant scent. These tall plants add a dose of white color in the woodland when there is little other color. For lore and uses see below.

Names: The "black" in the name refers to the color of the root (a rhizome) which is actually a dark brown. There are differences in treatment between certain authorities as to the proper genus for this plant. The preferred classification by the authoritative Flora of North America is as listed above. The genus name of Cimicifuga is from cimex for "bug" and fugere meaning "to drive away." This yields the common name of Bugbane. The species name racemosa, refers to the branches of the flower cluster which are racemes.

The author names for the plant classification are: First to classify, in 1753 with the name Actaea racemosa was 'L.' which refers to Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Swedish botanist and the developer of the binomial nomenclature of modern taxonomy. His work was updated in 1818 by ‘Nutt.’ which refers to Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859) English botanist who lived and worked in America from 1808 to 1841. On his many expeditions he collected many species that had been originally collected by Lewis and Clark but lost by them on their return journey.

Some other authorities, such as USDA however, list the plant under the older name Actaea racemosa L. var. racemosa. In current botanical work only those members of the Ranunculaceae that have berries as the fruits are considered in the genus Actaea and those with fruits in follicles are put into the Cimicifuga.

Comparisons: The flower racemes, from a distance, resemble Culver's Root, but on close inspection, the plants are entirely different with Culver's Root having whorls of leaves on the stem, not compound leaves.