Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Erect gray-green, smooth perennial herb, 12-36" tall. Leaves: single, large, sessile, 3 ternately compound leaf above the middle of stem; 1 (rarely 2) smaller, but similar compound leaf just below the inflorescence; oval leaflets, 1-3" long, are irregularly lobed above the middle. 

Flowers: Yellow-green to purple-gren, about 0.5" wide, petals absent, 6 petal-like sepals; 1-3 terminal, panicle-like flower clusters (rarely a branch with more leaves).

Bloom time: April - May.

Fruits: Dark blue, poisonous berry-like seeds.

Where found: Rich woodlands. Mostly a northeastern species that extends south to northern GA and northern AL. In the Eastern 2/3 of TN. Frequent.

The genus name Caulophyllum is from the Greek kaulon, "a stem," and phyllon, "a leaf".  The stem of the Blue cohosh acts as a stalk for the large compound leaf.

Other names for this plant include Blueberry Root, Blue Ginseng, and Lions' Foot.  The names Papoose Root and Squaw Root were given to the Blue Cohosh because Native Americans used the roots to make a tea for facilitating childbirth and to aid in menstruation. The Cherokee would hold root ooze in the mouth for a toothache and rub the leaves on poison oak rash.

In the late 1800s, this plant was also used as a sedative
and an antispasmodic, as well as to treat hysteria, rheumatism, and bronchitis.