Cimicifuga (or Cimifuga) is a genus of between 12-18 species in the Ranunculaceae family native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is closely related to Actaea, and many botanists include it in that genus.
Cimicifuga racemosa, commonly known in English as bugbane or back cohosh, grows from a horizontal branched dark brown to grayish black rhizome, with tall spires of fragrant, tiny white flowers in early summer over mounds of finely-cut, fanlike green leaves. The flowers actually lack petals; the numerous stamens create the appearance of a white flower spike. Grows well in shade to part sun. Black Cohosh, made from the rhizomes, was an important medicinal herb to Native Americans and is being explored today as a possible ingredient in cancer treatment.