Blue Cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Blue Cohosh	Caulophyllum thalictroides (L.) Michx.	Barberry	Woodland	Spring
Other names and notes	The flowers are of green to purplish color appearing in a branched terminal cluster. The petals are actually tiny, showing at the base of the 6 sepals. The leaves are divided into egg shaped leaflets that when mature have several prominent lobes at the top. The plants can be from one to over two feet high. "Blue" refers to the color of the fruit which forms in early summer and stays on the plant till the following spring unless eaten. Fruit color darkens over the summer. The genus name is from two Greek words referring to stem leaves.


The pale flowers of early spring.	Well developed fruit of August

Above: The unusual twisted stem of the emerging plant. Below: Flower of early May.	Above: The colors of October fruit. Below, late July. Below: A pleasant sight on an early spring walk is to find these blue berries from last autumn in contrast to the brown background. Photo April 3, 2009.

Notes: After introducing it to the Garden in Sept., 1909 with a plant obtained in what is now Minnehaha Park, Eloise Butler added another on April 18, 1910 from the same source. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time. She noted in her log of planting it in 1935 and 1936. The 1935 planting is interesting as the plants were delivered by Gertrude Cram and the two were robbed shortly thereafter. It is native to most of the wooded counties in Minnesota thus excluding the far NW and the tilled counties of the very south and the far SW.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33. Distribution principally from W2 and also 30, 33 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4, 11. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

©2008-2010 Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. All photos are the property of The Friends of the Wild Flower Garden unless otherwise credited. Web: "http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org"

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