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Actaea laciniata

(S. Wats.) J. Compton

Mt. Hood Bugbane

G3Vulnerable Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137395
Element CodePDRAN07040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRanunculales
FamilyRanunculaceae
GenusActaea
Synonyms
Cimicifuga laciniataS. Wats.
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Treated by Kartesz (1999) as Actaea laciniata; also known as Cimicifuga laciniata (e.g., in Kartesz (1994)). Phylogenetic analyses of Compton et al. (1998) support the inclusion of Cimicifuga within a monophyletic Actaea.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-02-21
Change Date2025-02-21
Edition Date2025-02-21
Edition AuthorsBroaddus, Lynn (1991), rev. Johnson, J. (2025)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Actaea laciniata is a perennial herb native to a small area of Oregon and Washington, United States. While there are few occurrences within a small range, they are located mostly in protected areas with little human disturbance.
Range Extent Comments
Actaea laciniata is found from Clark County, Washington, to the base of Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. Additional historic occurrences were observed on the Snoqualmie National Forest between 1978 and 1982 but these have not been documented as extent since then. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025, CPNWH 2025, OSU 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are 15 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025, CPNWH 2025, OSU 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Past timber harvest areas are evident near the Washington occurrences but the plants may be protected within riparian buffers. Lost Lake (the type locality) and Mirror Lake are popular recreation areas and other occurrences have been observed along hiking trails in the region.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Actaea laciniata grows in moist, open woods, boggy flats, thickets near heads of drainages, streamsides, meadow margins, and lakesides (FNA 1997).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - Conifer
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS3Yes
WashingtonS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource useRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceRestricted (11-30%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activitiesRestricted (11-30%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (7)
Oregon (6)
AreaForestAcres
LakeMt. Hood National Forest1,327
LarchMt. Hood National Forest12,961
Mt. Hood AdditionsMt. Hood National Forest13,061
Roaring RiverMt. Hood National Forest27,316
Salmon - HuckleberryMt. Hood National Forest17,570
Wind CreekMt. Hood National Forest5,438
Washington (1)
AreaForestAcres
Silver StarGifford Pinchot National Forest7,779
References (11)
  1. Compton, J. A., A. Culham and S.L. Jury. 1998. Reclassification of <i>Actaea</i> to include <i>Cimicifuga</i> and <i>Souliea</i> (Ranunculaceae): phytogeny inferred from morphology, nrDNA ITS, and cpDNA trnL-F sequence variation. Taxon 47:593-634.
  2. Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (CPNWH). 2025. Online database of vascular plant specimens from the Pacific Northwest. Online. Available: http://www.pnwherbaria.org/index.php (accessed 2025).
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  4. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  5. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  6. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  8. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  9. NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2024. Version: 1.1.1 (released Oct 01, 2024).
  10. Oregon State University (OSU). 2025. Oregon Flora website. Oregon State University Herbarium at Oregon State University. Online. Available: https://oregonflora.org/ (accessed 2025).
  11. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).