Rare Actaea hybrids – Botanically Inclined

Last week’s ‘discovery’ after a random wander through some woods. I stumbled into an area with A. pachypoda fo. rubrocarpa, A. pachypoda and… another Actaea which was looking like A. rubra (growing nearby) but not quite. What then? Well, it was the rarely seen hybrid between A. pachypoda and A. rubra – Actaea x ludovici!

: Actaea x ludovici; Red fruits like A. rubra (not shiny) with bigger black dots; thicker pedicels than in A. rubra and the raceme is more open reminding of A. pachypoda.

The hybrid berries contained a few seeds! What would come out of them, I really can’t tell… Flora of Michigan presents a short description; in mature exemplars the thickness of the fruits stalks and colour are a very good indicator, although there are other more detailed differences.

Meet the parents:

: Actaea pachypoda – Doll’s eyes (the pedicels will become red when the fruits mature)

: Actaea rubra – Red Baneberry; The fruits have slender pedicels and smaller ‘dots’ (the eye formed by the persistent stigma. Also, worth noticing that the raceme is more compact and the fruits are shiny when mature.

It seems I have a particular relation with the baneberries. Last year I also found the very rare Actaea pachypoda fo. rubrocarpa (which the obviously outdated Flora of NA says that it may not exist!). I still have to stumble onto A. rubra fo. neglecta…

: A. pachypoda fo. rubrocarpa; Magenta coloured fruits with red pedicels as thick as the axis of the raceme and with a pronounced swollen base, like in A. pachypoda