Goat's Beard

Goat's Beard

Common name:  Goat's beard or bride's feathers

Scientific name:  Aruncus dioicus

Family: Rose, Rosacea

Bloom period:  May to June

Where to see it:  In the Building 1 and 2 gardens.

What to look for:  The arching plumes are densely covered with many small cream-colored flowers in branched clusters.

Benefit to pollinators:  Goat’s beard attracts butterflies, bees, and moths and is a larval host for the Dusky Azure butterfly.

More information:  Goatsbeard is a dioecious plant meaning each plant has either all female flowers or all male flowers. Plants with male flowers produce showier blooms than plants with female flowers.  Native Americans use various parts of the plants medicinally, including poultices for sores and bee stings and infusions for rheumatism, severe bleeding after childbirth, sore throats, fevers, and blood disease.