Medically the plant has held an important place as an herb in both Europe and North America. Rheumatism was high on the list, as were some strange medical diagnoses. Try "reflex uterine gastralgia". There was even a male-female thing with the plant producing white berries used to treat females; red berry plants for the male. I would have thought that since "female problems" were treated, the color of the berries would have been reversed, but then I am not a MD, nor do I play one in TV commercials.
It should be noted that all parts of Actaea are poisonous and therefore nothing to be ingested in any form on your own. Baneberries belong to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) which includes such plants as monkshood and bugbane. Some of the common names given to the two species here in North America are chinaberry, doll's eyes and neck-lace-weed. The red berried form has been referred to as grapewort, coral-berry, poison-berry and, of course, red-berry.
There are some six to eight species of baneberry, depending upon the literature available. The four most likely to be located are, in order of easy to difficult, A. pachypoda, A. rubra, A. spicata, and finally A. erthyrocarpa. All are rated hardy to USDA zone 4 and grow under the same general conditions. Woodland soil, slightly acidic with plenty of humus and shade.
 Actaea pachypoda |
Doll's eyes (A. pachypoda) is the most popular and easily located at nurseries or in catalogs. Part of this could be it's wide distribution from Nova Scotia to Georgia, westward to Minnesota and Missouri. Most importantly, it is the showiest when berries are mature. This is a three-season plant, beginning with the relatively early emergence of attractive foliage. The central stem reaches one to two feet in height with compound leaves held out to create an open airy effect. Individual leaflets are sharply toothed and pointed with heavy texture and veining. |  Actaea pachypoda flower |
Blooms are a frothy white, minute individually, but of a dome shape at the end of a thick stalk. The frothy appearance comes from the many stamens being longer than the petals. Bloom period is during the month of May. |
 Actaea pachypoda berries |
The berries are waxen-white, carried on reddish stalks in an open cluster. There is a deep brown or black spot on each white berry, thus the name doll's eyes. To me, eyeballs on a stalk say "crab". Either way the berries mature from the end of July into August. |
|
Red baneberry (A. rubra) is quite similar in appearance.
Generally it is slightly smaller in height; leaves are 2-3 part as
supposed to 3-5 part in doll's eyes. Berries are a glistening blood red
on fruit stalks that are not thickened. The dark red is not as showy
as the white against the foliage, but still a very desirable plant.
There is also a white berried form of the red baneberry, created simply
to confuse gardeners. Natural range is more restricted with it reaching
into New Jersey and Pennsylvania, then over to South Dakota and Nebraska.
Grapewort or herb-Christopher (A. spicata) is from Europe and Asia. Size is about the same as red baneberry. Leaflets are more ornate, pointed and unequally toothed. Leaves are 2-3 pinnate. Flowers are white, as in the other two, but in a compact spike-like head. Berries are black. |
 Actaea rubra |
 Actaea erythrocarpa |
Actaea erythrocarpa is very similar to grapewort but with more
divided leaves. Fruits are red and smaller in size on a weak stalk.
This one I have not seen in any of my catalogs or on any seed lists.
In my garden, the baneberry is located beneath a mature dogwood tree and is accompanied by lady ferns (Athyrium filix-femina), false Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa), yellow trillium (T. luteum), white blooming creeping forget-me-nots (Omphalodes verna alba), and Hosta. The background is formed by bugbane (Cimicifuga) which repeats the baneberry effect later in the season. |