Red Baneberry

Actaea rubra

A long-lived, care-free woodland plant grown mostly for its bright, glossy red berries in mid- to late summer. The berries are mildly toxic, hence the common name, but are so extremely distasteful that it’s unlikely even the most curious child would be able to ingest them. If grown en masse, the fluffy white flower clusters are ornamental. Companions: Wild Ginger, Ferns, Woodland Asters, Monkshoods, Bellworts, Blue Lobelia, and Trilliums.