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Caulophyllum thalictroides
Also called Papoose Root, Papooseroot, Squawroot, Caulophylle Faux Pigamon, Squaw Root
Caulophyllum thalictroides, the blue cohosh, is a species of flowering plant in the Berberidaceae (barberry) family. It is a medium-tall perennial with blue berry-like fruits and bluish-green foliage. The common name cohosh is probably from an Algonquian word meaning "rough". The Greek-derived genus name Caulophyllum signifies "stem-leaf", while the specific name thalictroides references the similarity between the large highly divided, multiple-compound leaves of meadow-rues (Thalictrum spp.) and those of blue cohosh.
When used in high doses as an abortifacient, symptoms similar to nicotine poisoning can occur. These are not limited to nausea and emesis, headache, dizziness, muscle fasciculations, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypertension seizure, and respiratory failure.
The plant is found in hardwood forests and favors moist coves and hillsides, generally in shady locations, in rich soil. It grows in eastern North America, from Manitoba and Oklahoma east to the Atlantic Ocean.
The plant has been used as a medicinal herb by American Indians. Many Native American tribes, and later European herbologists and mid-wives, would use this herb in conjunction with other herbs and fluids for abortive and contraceptive purposes.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Caulophyllum thalictroides by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
