baneberry

American  

[beyn-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈbeɪnˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

plural

baneberries

1. any plant belonging to the genus Actaea, of the buttercup family, having large compound leaves, spikes of small white flowers, and poisonous red or white berries.

2. the berry of such a plant.

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baneberry British  

/ ˈbeɪnbərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: herb Christopher.   cohosh.  any ranunculaceous plant of the genus Actaea , esp A. spicata , which has small white flowers and red or white poisonous berries

2. a berry of any of these plants

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Etymology

Origin of baneberry

First recorded in 1745–55; bane + berry

Example Sentences

“This is baneberry, the small fruits are safe to eat when red but never when shading from green to yellow to orange. “This is how you set your feet when you want to walk silently.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The professor had told her about doll’s eyes, another name for the white baneberry that could cause cardiac arrest.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

There is baneberry, whose very name sufficiently describes its dangerous nature.

From Falling in Love With Other Essays on More Exact Branches of Science by Allen, Grant

But, as Dr. Prior adds, the name is applied to many plants which have no qualities in common, some of these being the meadow-sweet, fleabane, osmund-fern, herb-impious, everlasting-flower, and baneberry.

From The Folk-lore of Plants by Dyer, T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton)

The feathery baneberry is in flower when the columbine blooms and when the green-and-brown Jacks-in-the-Pulpit are preaching in the woods.

From Woodcraft or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good by Douglas, Alan