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May 11, 2012
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Southeastern, New Hampshire
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There are not many plants in New England with a ball of flowers, so it makes it
easy to remember. White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) looks similar to
Red Baneberry (this plant), but with the following differences:
- For Red Baneberry, the hood/cap (stigma) sitting on top of the ovary
(inside the flower cluster) is less wide than the ovary. See the
picture of the copper-colored stigma on the pale-yellow ovary (first picture
in the 3rd row of the table). White Baneberry has a stigma that is wider than
the ovary.
- Red Baneberry often has some hairs on the back side of the leaflets. See
closeup image below. White Baneberry leaves are hairless or nearly so on the
back side.
- Red Baneberry flower ball tends to be as wide as it is tall. White Baneberry
tends to have a taller flower cluster than it is wide.
- Most pictures I have seen shows White Baneberry leaflets somewhat smaller and
thinner than Red Baneberry leaflets.
- Red Baneberry pedicel width is 0.3-0.7 mm. White Baneberry pedicel width is
1.0-2.5 mm.
On rare ocassions, Red Baneberry can have white berries and White Baneberry can
have red berries.
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