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blue cohosh
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Caulophyllum thalictroides, the blue cohosh, is a species of flowering plant in the Berberidaceae (barberry) family. It is a medium-tall perennial with blue berry-like fruits and bluish-green foliage. The common name cohosh is probably from an Algonquian word meaning "rough". The Greek-derived genus name Caulophyllum signifies "stem-leaf", while the specific name thalictroides references the similarity between the large highly divided, multiple-compound leaves of meadow-rues (Thalictrum spp.) and those of blue cohosh.
From the article Caulophyllum thalictroides on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
From the single stalk rising from the ground, there springs a single, large, three-branched leaf, giving rise to a yellow-flowered inflorescence, followed by bluish berries, coated with a glaucous, waxy bloom, somewhat similar in appearance to sloes. The bluish-green leaflets are three-lobed and entire at the base, but serrate at the tip.
Range & habitat
The plant is found in hardwood forests and favors moist coves and hillsides, generally in shady locations, in rich soil. It grows in eastern North America, from Manitoba and Oklahoma east to the Atlantic Ocean.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and distribution”
What it does
The plant is pollinated early in the season by certain bee species, which are attracted by the nectar glands present on the petals.
Wikipedia: “Pollination”
At the table
The plant has been used as a medicinal herb by American Indians. Many Native American tribes, and later European herbologists and mid-wives, would use this herb in conjunction with other herbs and fluids for abortive and contraceptive purposes. The seeds have also reportedly been used a coffee substitute.
Wikipedia: “Uses”
Toxicity
When used in high doses as an abortifacient, symptoms similar to nicotine poisoning can occur. These are not limited to nausea and emesis, headache, dizziness, muscle fasciculations, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypertension seizure, and respiratory failure.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Caulophyllum thalictroides in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 84330.