Actaea Spicata

In May and June attractive fuzzy heads of pure white flowers display on long stems before the black berries ripen in July and August.The flowers are hermaphrodite, having both male and female organs, and are pollinated by beetles and butterflies. The smell of the plant is reputed to drive away vermin, and for home-dyers a black dye is obtained from the berries when alum is used as a mordant. Oh, and the seeds contain tannin.