Ranunculaceae
Baneberry
Actaea spicata
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Actaea
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Common names
By language (40)
- Arabic
- اقتى, بلسانية
- arz
- اكتيا سبيكاتا
- azb
- سونبولواری قارغا اوْتو
- Azerbaijani
- Sünbülvari qarğaotu
- Belarusian
- Варанец коласападобны
- Bulgarian
- Ресник
- Catalan
- Actée en épi
- Chinese
- 穗花类叶升麻, 绿豆升麻
- Croatian
- Klasasta habulica, Vučji korijen, naliep klasnasti
- Czech
- Samorostlík klasnatý
- Danish
- Sort Druemunke
- Dutch
- Christoffelkruid, Zwarte gifbes
- English
- Baneberry, Baneberry, herb christopher, Eurasian baneberry, Herb Christopher, St Christophers herb
- Estonian
- Salu-siumari
- Finnish
- Mustakonnanmarja
- French
- Actée en épi
- German
- Ähriges Christophskraut, Christophskraut, Actée en épi
- hsb
- Wšědna čornica
- Hungarian
- Fekete békabogyó
- Italian
- Barba di capra
- Japanese
- バーンベリー
- Kazakh
- Масақты қарғашөп
- kw
- Losow S. Kytto
- Latvian
- Vārpainā krauklene
- li
- Woufroot
- Lithuanian
- Varpotoji juodžolė, Actée en épi
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Trollbær
- Norwegian Nynorsk
- Trollbær
- pcd
- Iérpe-sint-Qhértofe
- Polish
- Czerniec gronkowy, Czerniec polny
- Romanian
- Orbalț
- Russian
- Воронец колосистый, Воронец колосовидный, Воронец колосовидный чёрный
- Serbian
- Вучји корен, Vučji koren
- sgs
- Joudšaknė
- Slovak
- Samorastlík klasnatý
- Slovenian
- Navadna črnoga
- Spanish
- Cimífuga, Cimifuga, Cistoforiana, Cristobalina, Cristoforiana, Cristoforina, Hierba de San Cristobal, Hierba de San Cristóbal
- Swedish
- Trolldruva, Actée en épi, Svart trolldruva
- Ukrainian
- Воронець колосистий
- Welsh
- Llysiau Cristoffis
Synonyms
- Actaea corymbosa Stokes
- Actaea densiflora M.Kral
- Actaea nigra (L.) G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
- Actaea spicata var. melanocarpa Ledeb.
- Actaea spicata var. nigra L.
- Actaea vulgaris Spach
- Christophoriana spicata (L.) Moench
- Christophoriana vulgaris Rupr.
Flowers
- In flower
- May to June (from 2,034 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: introduced
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Vesa Oikonen, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Felicia Seichter, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Lazaregagnidze, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: captainclover, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sofi Soyler, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Enrico Blasutto, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: gill_ryenats, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Vojtech.dostal, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Igor Balashov, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yehor Yatsiuk, CC0, from iNaturalist
More in Actaea
- Black baneberryActaea racemosaRanunculaceae
- White baneberryActaea pachypodaRanunculaceae
- Actaea heracleifoliaRanunculaceae
- Red baneberryActaea rubraRanunculaceae
- Actaea simplexRanunculaceae
- Actaea asiaticaRanunculaceae
- Actaea europaeaRanunculaceae
- Arizona bugbaneActaea arizonicaRanunculaceae
- Actaea cimicifugaRanunculaceae
- Actaea japonicaRanunculaceae
- Mountain bugbaneActaea podocarpaRanunculaceae
- Actaea dahuricaRanunculaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.