Photographs are not available yet.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Caulophyllum
- Clepsis melaleucanusBlack-Patched Clepsis, Trillium Tortrix
- Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
- Eugonobapta nivosariaSnowy Geometer
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimBeetles 2
- Idiostethus subcalvus
- Mordellistena biplagiata
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Flies 7
- Chilosia petulca
- Chlorops assimilis
- Dynatosoma thoracicum
- Morellia micans
- Mydaea socialis
- Rhamphomyia piligeronis
- Rhingia nasica
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other wasps 3
- Bracon trifolii
- Bracon vernoniae
- Dacnusa flavicincta
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Adult butterflies / moths · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–8b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Spring
- Fruit ends
- Summer
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Mid summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “6 inches–1 foot” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Blue Cohosh
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S4S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G4G5 [G5] |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your spot?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications