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Actaea spicata

Baneberry · Herb Christopher · Eurasian Baneberry

Family RanunculaceaeGenus Actaea

A dense head of white flowers with long stamens, opening from green buds
FlowerEnrico BlasuttoCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Safety

Toxicity
Poisonous. Roots, sap, berries. Protoanemonin. Stated for Actaea spp.Plants Poisonous to Livestock

The plant

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
WhiteWikipedia
Native range
Afghanistan, Albania, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Partial to full shadeNotes from web searches
Soil
Rich, organic, well-draining woodland soilNotes from web searches
Soil pH
5-7Notes from web searches
Organic matter
HighNotes from web searches
Watering
Consistently moist, never waterloggedNotes from web searches

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility; Notes from web searches — Amir Abed; Plants Poisonous to Livestock — Cornell University Department of Animal Science.

Worth knowing

  • Baneberry, or herb Christopher. Seed-eating rodents sometimes take the fruit and eat most of the seeds. Wikipedia: Actaea spicata

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

    The seeds are enclosed in a berry

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    washed in water and cleaned daily

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  4. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Germination took place at 40, but only after one or more prior cycles.

about 3 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4.

Deno's A. spicata figures are not in the quotation we hold; the steps are the genus method.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Actaea p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Actaea (Ranunculaceae). The seeds are enclosed in a berry and were given an initial WC for 7 d. Germination took place at 40, but only after one or more prior cycles. The radicle develops at 40 to a length of 2-3 inches after which growth stops. … A. spicata germ. best in 70-40(88% in 4-7 w) using seed that had been WC and DS 6 m at 70 in the WC state. Germination was more extended with fresh WC seed as shown by 70-40(53%)-70-40(31%) and 40-70-40(55%)-70-40.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Actaea p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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