Blue Cohosh
The dark almost black sprout as it unfurls is eerie looking. At a glance it appears as if alien hands are reaching out from under the ground. Awakened by my passing, they seem to be everywhere I step. I no longer feel alone in the woods.
Blue Cohosh hardly waits to bloom as it emerges in early spring. The flower is nothing to write home about but the emerging plant is.
Caulophyllum thalictroides
It was surprising how much of a difference a couple of days made. 3 days ago I found a lone patch just emerging. Today it was in bloom and the forest floor had become covered with new shoots.
The plant will turn green once it leafs out. The leaves are similar to meadow rues and it was given it’s species name because of the resemblance.
Tea made from the dried root is used as a herbal medicine used to suppress menstruation or regulate menstrual flow. Native Americans used it to induce labor. It should NOT be used in pregnancy, and only under advice from a qualified medical practitioner. When needed, men should go hide in the woods.
17 Responses
Leave a Comment
Comment Feed
You might want to see my response to the stuff people throw in the box
Subscribe in a reader
April 20th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I love this plant ~ the leaves look wonderful as they leaf out. I wonder if it’s related to black cohosh ~ used to ameliorate the symptoms of menopause. The flowers are adorable ~ sigh, I am still awaiting the first flower in my garden. Have a good week!
April 20th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Incredible photos Love this unfurling and the deep rich color…g
April 20th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
How does it work if the man ingests it? No more crabby husband, perhaps? Mine seems to be getting cranky with all his honey do’s piling up. I haven’t seen this before!
April 20th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
It’s a very interesting plant, although I am not sure I’d like to have it in my garden. It’s kind of…. halloweeny… dramatic… Thanks for showing it to us!
April 20th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I grow it for the amazing blue berries, but I also love the foliage in the summer. I just discovered today that I have a green flowered one in addition to the brown flowers. I’d seen a photo of a green flower before, but this is new to my garden. This is one of my favorite plants. It should be more widely grown.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I have never seen anything like that before! It is a Halloween looking type plant. Something the Munsters would grow in their garden maybe(-: Joy needs one of those for her garden(-:
April 21st, 2009 at 12:31 am
These plants look like something Morticia Addams would love. I see others are thinking along the same lines. That last one looks like a claw-like hand with webbing between the fingers. I probably would have shied away from plants like this, but seeing them up close reveals an eerie beauty, much like Morticia.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:21 am
I am reading this first thing in the morning and can’t believe your details on the plant being so DETAILED ??? LOL .. “to go where no man wants to go” Star Trek theme music playing in the background.
As for the plant .. now that is an amazing ! I had no idea about it .. what a colour ! .. You are never alone in the woods Mr. WiseA** .. they are watching you : )
April 21st, 2009 at 9:22 am
That foliage is indeed eerily cool. What’s more pressing on my mind is, why aren’t blue and black cohosh the same freakin’ genus?? (That is a rhetorical ponderance.)
April 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
I have to, at one time, agreed with you that “as if alien hands are reaching out from under the ground”, you are not alonel with the alien around.
Just for your precaution, they might grab your feet and pull you into the ground.
April 21st, 2009 at 11:36 am
There is something creepy about dark plants, but I think the pale, almost colorless ones are really disgusting. You’ll have to find a few of those to do macros on–just to round out the color palette.
Aiyana
April 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Interesting plant
April 21st, 2009 at 8:16 pm
actually, the flower looks so interesting to me, and i love the purplish shade of the stalk, kind of adding mystery.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I love this plant. It’s so different in each season. We have it here, but I see more of it in NY.
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
This is a really interesting post with lovely photos. I’ll send out a tweet from Twitter. (Remember when that used to applied to birds?)
April 24th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
That’s really goth-looking…I need to go for a walk in the woods and see if I can find some.
April 16th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
[...] Blue Cohosh is one of the stranger looking woodland wildflowers out back. See more photos of them here: Blue Cohosh [...]