Early Blue Cohosh
Growth Habit
HerbaceousPropagation
Seed Treatment and Storage: Scarify seeds and cold/moist stratify. Difficult to germinate, may take 3-4 years.
Biocultural Value
Many Native American groups collected blue cohosh for its anti-inflammatory properties. The Potawatomi and the Cherokee, for example, prescribed it during childbirth to reduce inflammation of the womb. The Fox, Menominee, Ojibwa, and Chippewa also used Blue Cohosh to suppress profuse menstruation.
Poisonous:
The leaves and seed contain methylcytisine and glycosides which are poisonous to humans and will cause severe stomach pains if ingested. The root can cause contact dermatitis.
Wildlife Value
Self-pollination is common in blue cohosh (Hannan, Hewlett and Prucher 1996), although the flowers are visited by an assortment of flies (order Diptera), damsel bugs (Nabis roseipennis), and sweat bees (Lasioglossum spp.). The plant's primary agents of seed dispersal are woodland birds, but the white-footed mouse and woodland deer mouse eat the fruit as well. White-tailed deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid the toxic foliage.
