The common name comes from its white berries with black dots, resembling eerie doll eyes staring back at you in the forest.
While toxic to mammals, the berries provide food for some native birds, helping disperse seeds across the forest floor.
This perennial can live for decades in the right habitat, forming slowly expanding clumps over time.
Historically, indigenous people used small amounts of the plant medicinally, but due to its extreme toxicity, it’s never been widely adopted for herbal use.
The common name comes from its white berries with black dots, resembling eerie doll eyes staring back at you in the forest.
While toxic to mammals, the berries provide food for some native birds, helping disperse seeds across the forest floor.
This perennial can live for decades in the right habitat, forming slowly expanding clumps over time.
Historically, indigenous people used small amounts of the plant medicinally, but due to its extreme toxicity, it’s never been widely adopted for herbal use.
Bloom: spring
Habitats: ravines; rich deciduous woods; shaded seeps; the bases of bluffs; thinly wooded bluffs
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: moist to mesic
Plant type (height): forb (1 to 3 feet)
Requirements: dappled sunlight to moderate shade
Soil: fertile loamy soil with abundant organic matter
