Foetid Bugbane (Cimicifuga foetida)

Family: Ranunculaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Cimicifuga foetida is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - cooked. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. — Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Habitat & North American Range

Shrubberies and forest clearings on open humus-rich soils, to 4000 metres in the Himalayas. Frequently found in fir forests in Kashmir. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)