About
Actaea cordifolia is a herbaceous perennial that grows in clumps and can reach a height of approximately 1.5 meters. Its dark green foliage consists of leaves that can measure up to 60 centimeters in length, featuring broadly obovate leaflets that are 12 to 20 centimeters long, lobed, and heart-shaped at their base. In the summer, it produces branched racemes, which may curve slightly, reaching lengths of up to 60 centimeters, adorned with creamy white flowers, each about 1 centimeter in length.
About the genus
Actaea consists of herbaceous perennials that grow from rhizomes. They feature compound leaves and produce small, creamy-white flowers arranged in compact, upright racemes that can be simple or branched. These flowers may later develop into toxic berries that can be red, black, or white, or into clusters of star-shaped brown follicles.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, North-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- E & SE USA
- Toxicity
- Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in cool, moist, humus-rich, preferably neutral or slightly acidic soil in partial shade, for example in a woodland garden or shaded herbaceous or mixed bed
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, sown when ripe in containers in a cold frame or in a nursery bed in autumn, or by division in early spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free