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POISONOUS PARTS: ALL PARTS, mainly berries and roots. TOXIC IF EATEN IN LARGE QUANTITIES. SAP MAY ALSO BE TOXIC WITH DERMAL EXPOSURE. Symptoms include burning of mouth and throat, salivation, severe stomach cramps, headache, diarrhea, dizziness and hallucinations. Toxic Principle: Unknown, glycoside or essential oil, protoanemonin (Poisonous Plants of N.C.).
Besides woodland, this plant may also be found on thinly wooded bluffs. (Illinois Wildflowers)
This plant thrives best in rich deciduous woods. It is sometimes called Doll's Eyes because of the shiny white fruit (with their black dots formed by the persistent stigma) resembling the china eyes once used in dolls. These berries grow on pink to red thick stalk. They are often found in association with Actaea rubra. (Wild Flower Centre, LBJ)
Similar Species: Red Baneberry (A. Rubra) is very similar and may sometimes have white berries (White Baneberry may have red berries). The flowers of Red Baneberry are in a more compact cluster and most distinctively the berries are on very thin pedicels where those of White Baneberry are thick (Wildflowers of the Southern US).
Medical Uses: Native Americans used a root tea for various problems including pain, colds and coughs. The Cherokee use it to revive a patient near death. The Chippewa used the same tea for convulsions.
Insect Relationships: Only Halictid bees are drawn to the pollen of this plant. (Illinois Wildflowers)
Mammal and Bird Relationships: Several birds feed on the berries and thereby spread the seeds. These are the Ruffed Grouse, the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker and the American Robin. The White-Footed Mouse is the only mammal which eats the berries. (Illinois Wildflowers)
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