Buttercup family
Actaea pachypoda
Baneberry, common name for plants of a genus of the buttercup family. Deciduous plants of rich woods, baneberries are found in the northern United States and southern Canada, growing to about 60 cm (about 24 in) in height. They are sometimes cultivated in shady gardens as perennials. The small, feathery, white flowers bloom in the spring; the berries, which ripen in autumn, are white in the species called doll's-eyes; red in red baneberry; and black in a species imported from Europe. The berries in all species are conspicuous, attractive to children, and poisonous. They contain an essential oil that produces severe gastroenteritis if eaten, but rarely with fatal results.
Scientific classification: Baneberries belong to the genus Actaea of the family Ranunculaceae. Doll's-eyes is classified as Actaea pachypoda, the red baneberry as Actaea rubra, and the species with black berries as Actaea spicata.
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