Synonyms. Spiky red crow, red-fruited crow, actaea, wolf berries, stink, crow berries, christophora grass, Actaea arguta Nutt., Actaea neglecta Gillman, Actaea spicata var. erythrocarpa Fisch., Actaea spicata var. rubra Aiton.
Origin of the name. The Latin name Actaea is of Greek origin, one of the names of elderberry.
Description of the plant. Perennial herbaceous, rhizomatous plant. The rhizome is thick, shortened. The stems are annual, herbaceous, up to 70 cm tall, at the base dressed with brown scales, in the upper part covered with short, curly hairs. The whole plant has an unpleasant smell (fortunately, because the whole plant is poisonous).
The leaves are light green, thrice triplicate-pinnate, with ovate-lanceolate and pointed leaflets (the terminal leaflet at the base is usually wedge-shaped), incised and saw-toothed at the edges.
The flowers are small, white, collected in an oval short brush, which when fruiting stretches into a cylindrical one. Petals-nectaries slightly elongated, ovate or elliptical, narrowed at the base into a nail. Voronets blooms in June - early July.
In appearance, the red-fruited crow is very similar to the spiky crow, but differs from it, first of all, in the color of the fruit, slightly smaller berries, as well as rounded petals at the top and lighter color of the leaves.
Description of fruits. The fruit is an oblong berry - shaped juicy multi-seeded leaflet of red, rarely white color. Fruiting is plentiful, in August - early September. The berries are poisonous and very bitter
Distribution (area). In the wild, it inhabits the North of the European part and the entire Eastern part of Russia. in Western Siberia: Tyumen district (Khanty-Mansiysk district, Tobolsk floristic district), Kurgan, Omsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo regions, Altai territory, Altai Republic. In Central Siberia: Krasnoyarsk Krai (Putorana, Tunguska, Verkhneangarsky floristic regions)Republic Of Khakassia, Republic Of Tyva. in Eastern Siberia: Irkutsk region (Angara-Sayan floristic and Prilensk-Katanga floristic districts), Buryatia (North-Buryat and South-Buryat floristic districts), Zabaykalsky Krai (Kalarsky and Shilko-Argunsky floristic districts), Yakutia (Oleneksko-Nizhneleneksky, Vilyuysko-Verkhneleneksky and Aldan floristic districts). Outside of Siberia, the red-crowned Raven is found in Mongolia and North America.
Habitats. It grows in coniferous and mixed forests, in the far East, in Siberia and .
Chemical composition. The plant is poorly studied, it is only known that the rhizomes with roots and leaves contain alkaloids. Saponins, alkaloids 0.031-0.041% were found in the aboveground part, and vitamin C was found in the leaves.
Nutritional properties. An inedible, poisonous plant.
Medicinal properties. According to some data, fruits and seeds contain substances that have a strong local irritant and General narcotic effect that affects the Central nervous system. In the past, the roots of Voronets were used in folk medicine for asthma and goiter. Currently, its use is limited in homeopathy for rheumatism and muscle inflammation.
Contraindications and warnings. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The most toxic are fruits. Eating just two berries for a child can end tragically. But accidental poisoning with berries is unlikely, the plant has an unpleasant smell, and the berries are very bitter. The signs of poisoning by the berries of the funnel phoenicea - nausea, dizziness, increased heart rate, severe disorder of the gastrointestinal tract.
Economic use. Voronet phoenicea is a medicinal plant that is used only in folk medicine. Prepare Voronets grass, rhizomes with roots and berries. In the old days, wool dye was made from the ripe fruits of the Raven. Young leaves and branches of the Raven give a red color. Insecticide (a means of controlling harmful insects) in the population of the East