Blue Cohosh

Caulophyllum thalictroides (L.) Michx. - Barberry family

Size

Mature Height: Up to around 30 inches

Planting Distance: 20 inches

Plant Type: Forb/herb

Root Depth: 16 inches

Growth Form: Multiple Stem

Growth Rate: Moderate

Features

Flower Color: Purple

Conspicuous Flowers: No

Bloom Time: Mid Summer

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: No

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Tolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: No

Sandy Soil Tolerance: No

Drought Tolerance: Low

Flood Tolerance: Low

Fire Tolerance: Low

Salt Tolerance: None

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Native Bees; Bombus; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Larval Host (Moth)

Larval Species depending on Blue Cohosh: Crocigrapha normani

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
  • CAN:  Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Québec
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.