Cambria County
Cool Finds
American Bugbane
American Bugbane (Cimicifuga americana) is a close cousin to Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), a common plant of mountain forests known for its herbal remedy properties; several species of this genus are
also well-known as garden ornamentals called bugbane or cohosh. Black Cohosh and American bugbane are very similar in appearance, with a main stalk bearing one or two many-leafleted leaves and a tall flower stalk with white blooms. However, American bugbane is a distinct species whose global range is limited to the southern Appalachian Mountains, extending into Pennsylvania only at relatively high elevations in the Allegheny Mountains. Some suspect that this naturally limited distribution may be declining further due to harvesting of cohosh plants for medicinal trade. American Bugbane can be reliably distinguished by its blooming season, late august to early September; Black Cohosh blooms earlier, late July to early August. The location in Cambria County where a population of American Bugbane was found during CNHI survey work is one of the northernmost known populations of the species, and the only currently known population of this species in the county.
Event Calendar
A draft of the CNHI report will be completed and available for review by April 2005.
Recommend a Site
Click here to download our site recommendation form. Or submit a site online.
Contact
For questions relating to the Cambria Co. Inventory, please contact:
Jessica McPherson
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
209 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
jmcpherson@paconserve.org