Aruncus dioicus var. acuminatus

Bride's feathers

Family: Rosaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Bride's feathers is a California native perennial found in northern coastal California, Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and Cascade Ranges in moist streambanks and conifer or mixed-evergreen forests at elevations below 1,900 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces delicate white to pale yellow flowers in feathery panicles up to 50 centimeters long. Growing with robust stems 1 to 2 meters tall and a stout rhizome, it forms impressive clumps in woodland understories. Its large leaves are intricately compound, with 2 to 3 levels of pinnate leaflets, each ovate and sharply toothed, measuring 3 to 16 centimeters long. The fruit consists of 3 to 5 small cylindrical follicles that reflexively curve outward when mature.

Habitat: Moist streambanks, conifer or mixed-evergreen forest

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 1900 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, n NCoRO, CaR

California counties: Humboldt, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Trinity

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.