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White Baneberry

Herbaceous Perennial Flower, Wildflower

Also known as Doll’s Eyes
Actaea pachypoda
Ranunculaceae Family
Synonym: Actaea alba

Perfect for cool, moist woodland gardens, Doll's Eyes provide season-long interest with white flowers in spring, attractive foliage and, in fall, poisonous white berries with a single black spot that give it its name.

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Site and Plant Characteristics
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Growing Information
Site Characteristics
Sunlight:
  • part shade
  • full shade

Soil conditions:

  • requires well-drained soil
  • tolerates damp soil
A woodland plant that prefers rich soil that is kept moist but not soggy.

Hardiness zones:

  • 3 to 9
Sometimes reported hardy to Zone 2. May be difficult to grow in hot areas Zone 7 and warmer.
Plant Traits

Lifecycle: perennial

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 1.5 to 3.5 feet

Spread: 1 to 2 feet

Bloom time: late spring

Flower color: white

The small flowers are fluffy and dome-shaped.

Foliage color: medium green

Foliage texture: fine

Shape: loose and formless

The foliage is loose and airy.

Shape in flower: same as above
Special Considerations
Special characteristics:
  • non-aggressive
  • non-invasive
  • native to North America - Eastern North America
  • bears ornamental fruit - White berries with black “eyes” borne on red stems in late summer/early fall.
Growing Information
How to plant:

Propagate by seed, division or separation - Divide in spring or autumn. Can be easily grown from seeds freshly harvested from berries. Remove the flesh of the fruit and sow the bare seeds. May take more than 1 year to germinate from dried seed.

Maintenance and care:
Remove dead foliage in fall after berries drop.

More growing information: How to Grow Perennials

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