Flora of North America species comparison

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Cimicifuga elata

tall bugbane
Stems

120-180 cm, sparsely puberulent, glandular, or lanate.
Leaves

blade 2-ternately compound;

leaflets 9-27;

terminal leaflet of central segment ovate to orbiculate, often 2-3-lobed, 8-18 × 9-23 cm, with 5-7 prominent veins arising basally, base deeply cordate, margins coarsely dentate to serrate, teeth gland-tipped, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous;

other leaflets 5-15 × 7-20 cm.
Inflorescences

erect panicles of 4-14 racemelike branches, 7-17 cm, glandular to lanate;

bracts 3, subtending pedicel, central bract largest, lance-subulate, lateral bracts ovate-deltate;

pedicel 1-8 mm, densely pubescent, bracteoles absent.
Flowers

sepals 5, white or pinkish;

petals absent;

stamens 20-30;

filaments 5-6 mm;

pistils 1-3, sessile, glandular-pubescent;

style short;

stigma 0.5 mm wide.
Seeds

reddish to purplish brown, lenticular, 2 mm, usually verrucose, rarely with very short scales.
Follicles

usually 1(-3 in proximal flowers), sessile or nearly sessile (stipe 0-2 mm), oblong, ± laterally compressed, 8-12 mm, thin walled.
2n

= 16.

Cimicifuga elata
Phenology Flowering summer (Jun-early Aug).
Habitat Moist, wooded slopes, damp forest margins and roadsides, along shaded streams, rather open to closed woods, mountain hemlock habitats
Elevation 60-900 m (200-3000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Cimicifuga elata has the most extensive range of the three western North American species. It is very likely to be threatened by human activities. Even though a number of historic records occur for this species and its preferred habitat is fairly extensive (albeit not undisturbed), the number of colonies actually known to exist is not great. In addition, few of these populations are of sufficient size and extent to be viable over the long term.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Cimicifuga
Sibling taxa
C. americana, C. arizonica, C. laciniata, C. racemosa, C. rubifolia
Name authority Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 316. (1838)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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