Cimicifuga / Actaea

[Hoy]

I asked just to tease you - sorry

Blickfang (blickfång actually) is Swedish too. In Norwegian it is spelt "blikkfang" and it means eye-cather as you suggests.

Here all Actaea is early flowering and seeds ripen but Cimicifuga is very late flowering and seeds almost never ripen so no trouble with seedlings though! I find Actaea seed germinates easily but Cimicifuga is more difficult.

All my Actaeas is from seed (here A. pachypoda) while I have to buy plants of Cimicifugas (here C. racemosa simplex). Both pictures taken today. (Bad quality though; a gloomy damp day.)

 

[McDonough]

A couple of eye-catchers Trond!  The fruiting structures on true Actaea are one of nature's miracles, how they can be lumped into the dry-follicle seed structures on Cimicifuga is beyond me.

Here's a side-by-side composite view of Cimicifuga simplex starting to form dense spires of seed capsules, on the left, bright lime-green on the all-green leaved forms of C. simplex, and on the right, dark purplish capsules on the "atropurpurea" forms of the species.

[Afloden]

In reply 15, Mark pictures a Cimicifuga that I grow! I believe mine are divisions of that exact plant! It should be Cimicifuga purpurea from Japan, not synonymous with C. japonica or C. acerina. Compton published a paper recognizing all three, but under Actaea. All three were recognized as Cimicifuga before though.

Also, C. cordifolia is misnomer for C. rubifolia from a very limited distribution in the southeastern US (about a 1/2 hour drive from me and its a beauty even in the wild and a late flowering, nicely-fragrant species). But, most plants under this name are C. racemosa. The true C. rubifolia which is pictured as "Blikfang" does look correct though. Even so, a few east Asian species are similar as is C. elata from the Pacific Northwest.

 Mark, your pinkish-fruited Actaea is pachypoda var. rubra. Note the thickened pedicels which are present only in this species of the two North American ones.

 Aaron

[McDonough]

Greetings Aaron, so glad that you made it here to NARGS Forum!  Your commentary and insight on Cimicifuga/Actaea are most welcome, looking forward to hearing from you often on the forum.  I did a quick search and found the following link to a JSTOR document (for purchase) on the three species of Cimicifuga including C. purpurea.

Taxonomic Notes on Cimicifuga purpurea, Stat. Nov.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3392219

[copperbeech]

I bought Actea pachypoda 'Misty Blue' yesterday which has really beautiful foliage.

I know this variety is relatively new. I am just wondering Tony et al how this plant did for you this past season in your garden?

I have two small ones that I purchased a week or so ago and depending on the final growth dimensions I am debating whether to plant both together to maybe get more impact from flowers and eventually berries or go with just one and give the other away (nice of me eh? )