Red baneberry

Red baneberry is a perennial herbaceous plant and the most common Actaea species found in Quebec. It stands out from white baneberry by its round clusters of white flowers and small, toxic bright red berries.

This perennial plant has a stalk of 30 to 80 cm in height. Its compound leaves are divided into dentate or serrate ovate leaflets.

Each berry of the red baneberry grows on a slender green stalk called a pedicel and contains between 6 and 10 seeds. The seeds are oval, about 3 to 5 millimetres long, and range in colour from dark brown to reddish brown.

A variety of this species, known as Actaea rubra neglecta, bears white rather than red fruit.