#caulophyllum

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

Early Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum giganteum Berberidaceae

Photographs taken on April 15, 2023, at Starkey Hill, Ontario, Canada.

[vandaliatraveler]

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is very similar in appearance to giant blue cohosh, but its flowers are yellow-green and smaller than those of its close relative. The plant’s three-lobed leaves are also more sharply serrated at the tips than those of giant blue cohosh. This beautiful, lush perennial of Appalachia’s damp, rich woods has figured prominently in the history of herbal medicine in North America, long being used by Native Americans and traditional medicine practitioners to treat everything from hiccups and constipation to female reproductive problems. However, the plant has toxic properties and is better admired for its aesthetic, rather than medicinal, qualities. The photos above were taken earlier today at the Friendship Hill National Historic Site, part of the National Park system.

[vandaliatraveler]

Giant blue cohosh (Caulophyllum giganteum) arguably makes the most dramatically-balletic entrance of all of Appalachia’s spring-blooming perennials. The plant’s delicate maroon shoots emerge en masse from the drab leaf litter in early April and soon produce the most extraordinary, parasol-like flowers, each with six enlarged sepals, six smaller petals, and six large, yellow stamens surrounding a bulbous pistil. The flowers are later replaced by clusters of smoky blue berries. As this shade-loving member of the barberry (Berberidaceae) family matures, its stems and foliage turn to a soft, reflective shade of green and take on a shrubby appearance. The plant’s thrice-compound, three-lobed leaves are reminiscent of those of meadow rue but the two plants are not closely related. Giant blue cohosh, also known as early blue cohosh, blooms earlier than the more familiar blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), which has yellow-green flowers. Photos above were taken at Coopers Rock State Forest and Elizabeth’s Woods at Toms Run Preserve.

[vandaliatraveler]

Elizabeth’s Woods was the first tract of land protected by the West Virginia Land Trust as part of Toms Run Preserve. Ensconced on a wooded bluff overlooking the Monongahela River, the tract’s mature hardwood forest has become a local mecca for spring wildflower hunters and birdwatchers. The parcel is named in honor of its benefactor, Elizabeth Zimmermann, who donated it to the Land Trust nearly 25 years ago. This past weekend’s spring bounty included (from top): bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides); slender toothwort (Cardamine angustata); Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), distinguished from Carolina spring beauty by its narrower, grass-like leaves; blunt-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana); bluntleaf waterleaf (Hydrophyllum canadense); and downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens).

[vandaliatraveler]

. . . the even more stunning and languorous giant blue cohosh (Caulophyllum giganteum), one of the earliest blooming wildflowers in Appalachia’s woods. This species is primarily distinguished from thalictroides by its reddish-purple, rather than green or yellow, flowers, a fewer number of flowers overall, and larger sub-leaflets. The mature leaves of both species are roughly the same size, however. Although the seeds of their berries were once used as a coffee substitute, the berries, leaves, and roots of both species of Caulophyllum are mildly toxic if ingested. The photos above were taken on the Mon River Trail this morning.

[vandaliatraveler]

A young blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) unfurls its lovely, thrice-lobed leaves, so reminiscent of those of of the meadow rues, from its iridescent, purplish stems. Blue cohosh (which is not closely related to the similarly-named black cohosh) is one of the most delicate and graceful of the early spring perennials. What I did not realize until this weekend is that there are two species of blue cohosh growing in the local woods: the lovely and familiar thalictroides above and . . . 

[thebotanicalarcade]

Ohio Spring Wildflower Field Guide

[newskb]

Boiron Caulophyllum thalictroides 200ck, 80 pellets, homeopathic Medicine for Menstrual Cramps, 1 Count

Boiron Caulophyllum thalictroides 200ck, 80 pellets, homeopathic Medicine for Menstrual Cramps, 1 Count

Price: (as of – Details) Boron was founded in 1932 in Lyon, France, by twin brothers and pharmacists Jean and Henri Boron. As the world leader in homeopathic medicines, Boron is a $852 million public company with 3,700 employees and distribution in 59 countries. It is best known for Oscillococcinum, a top-selling flu medicine, and its Arnicare line of pain relievers. For more than 80 years,…

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