Red Baneberry

Red baneberry is a bushy perennial of moist, shady woods, standing one to three feet tall with a few large leaves divided two or three times into sharply toothed, lobed leaflets. In spring it sends up compact clusters of small white flowers. The petals are tiny, and what you mostly see is a fuzz of long stamens. The flowers have a rose-like scent.

Later in summer the flowers become clusters of oval berries on slender stalks. Most plants have bright red berries, but some have white ones, and both are poisonous. All parts of the plant contain a compound called protoanemonin, most concentrated in the berries and the root, which can cause stomach cramps, vomiting, dizziness and more serious effects.

Several birds, including American robins and grouse, eat the fruit and pass the seeds, while some mice and voles eat the seeds and leave the pulp. The plant survives most fires thanks to a thick base buried just below the soil surface, and it usually grows in damp spots that burn less often anyway. Its presence is a good sign of rich, moist ground.

On Mt. Hood, look for it along streams and in moist forest, especially in late summer when the berries stand out against the green understory.