''Actaea arizonica'' is a species of flowering plant in the

buttercup family Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 species), ''Delphinium' ...

known by the common name Arizona bugbane. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States, where it occurs in Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai Counties.''Actaea arizonica''.
The Nature Conservancy. Like some other species in genus '' Actaea'', this plant was formerly included in the genus ''

Cimicifuga ''Cimicifuga'' (bugbane or cohosh) was a genus of between 12 and 18 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is now generally included in '' Actaea''. T ...

''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. This rhizome, rhizomatous perennial herb produces hairless stems up to 1.5''Cimicifuga arizonica''.
Flora of North America. to 2''Cimicifuga arizonica''.
Arizona Game and Fish Department. meters tall. The leaves are each made up of triple-lobed, toothed leaflets up to 17.5 centimeters long by 12.5 wide. They are borne on long petioles up to 35 centimeters in length. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

with several long branches, growing erect or leaning. The flowers have five

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s, two of which are greenish and three of which are cream in color. There are sometimes white petals as well, but these are often absent. Flowering occurs in July and August. There are many

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s in each flower. The flowers are pollinated by three species of

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

, ''

Bombus occidentalis ''Bombus occidentalis'', the western bumblebee, is one of around 30 bumblebee species present in the western United States and western Canada.

'', '' Bombus morrisoni'', and '' Bombus huntii''.Pellmyr, O. (1985)
Pollination ecology of ''Cimicifuga arizonica'' (Ranunculaceae).
''Botanical Gazette'' 146(3) 404-12. If the flowers are not pollinated by insects, or if pollination is prevented, for example, by a heavy rain, the flowers undergo abortion. The fruit is a follicle that has "a bottle-brush appearance," and "the seeds resemble furry little bugs."''Cimicifuga arizonica''.
Center for Plant Conservation. This plant is endemic to central Arizona, where it grows in the

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

between coniferous forest and the riparian zone. The

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

is about 5300–7000 feet. Some plants grow in

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

s and some grow in very moist habitat such as seeps and springs on mountain slopes. The soils are rich with

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

and are well-shaded. The type locality is Bill Williams Mountain in Coconino County. It shares its habitat with the

Mexican spotted owl The spotted owl (''Strix occidentalis'') is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of old-growth forests in western North America, where it nests in tree hollows, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between high and ...

(''Strix occidentalis lucida'').Arizona Bugbane (''Cimicifuga arizonica'') Conservation Agreement.
USFS, USFWS. December 1998.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15362785 arizonica Flora of Arizona