Baneberry is an attractive plant, but all the parts, particularly roots and berries, are considered poisonous. The white flowers grow in tight round clusters at the end of a long stem. Poisonous berries are red with a black dot. All trails These plants are often vilified because of their tendency to reclaim cleared trails but they are, in fact, valuable inhabitants. The fruit are small winged nutlets in oval woody cones.
Fruits are small wingless nutlets in oval woody cones.
White five-petalled flowers are solitary or a few grow together, one terminal and the others in leaf axils and they bloom by mid June. The dark purple edible berries which look like rose hips ripen in late summer. The leaves of this attractive plant may be steeped for tea. Sarsaparilla grows up to 1 m. The compound leaves have toothed leaflets and the lower stems are bristly.