Black Cohosh is a fairly common native plant, though there are two other types besides the one you've listed. Did you say you dug it up recently? How did it respond to being relocated? ~Shari

I dug it up years ago. It's doing beautifully, has multiplied greatly. I would just like to know all the info I can. :) Arum

Yes, quite common, in fact coming into flowering in Maryland now.

Rx

Well,---- It may be common, but is pretty, and smells so sweet! :) Arum

I always enjoy seeing it; mine is flowering now as well. I think the foliage is attractive enough on its own to plant it.

Well, at first it wasn't very big, only had one bloom, but now I have four, and it's crowding out my white Bleeding Heart. I hate to fool with it though, I will probably kill it. :) Arum

Where you being tongue in cheek when you said it smelled so good? My bugbane, I have an appalachian bugbane that blooms later in the season, stinks if try to move it. If I brush against it it has an unpleasant odor, nothing too obnoxious but when I tried to relocate it, pee yew!!
~Shari

No, it smells great! Are they a different plant? :) Arum

This site says the c. racemosa has the odor and the applachian bugbane does not. It says: Appalachian bugbane (C. rubifolia) is similar to C. racemosa. And:

Flowers: The flower parts are not discernable with the naked eye and are up to 1.25cm wide (0.5 inches). They are white. The flowers of C. racemosa have a unpleasant smell and have only one pistil with a large stigma. C. americana does not have the odor and has at least three and up to eight pistils with no apparent stigmas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bugbane

Thank you for that link. Mine smells good, mayabe I'm a sicko. :) arum

I am confused. The flowers on whatever it is I have growing in my garden vary between 2 to five pistils, this is why I thought I had an appalachian bugbane and not a black cohosh. The leaves on the plant in my yard do not smell, nor do the flowers. If I break a stem then it smells. If I try to dig it up, it really smells!

The bugbane in my yard doesn't bloom until very late in August, more into September, Everything I read about c. racemosa says it blooms in July to early August. Wild c. racemosa that I have encountered locally blooms in July.

From what I remember, appalachian and american bugbanes bloom later in the season than do black cohosh which is another reason why I thought I don't have a black cohosh. Oh well I guess the mystery continues.....

Well what I ahve is blooming right now, and smells great! Yeah, I'm confused too. :) arum

hello arum!
whatever species/variety i have i bought at a nursery. it reaches 4' tall and blooms late summer/fall. it smells sweet like candy and attracts the flies like crazy. i think it smells delicious.

There is also C. americana, which blooms from Aug to Sept. The flowers have 3 or more pistils; C. racemosa only has one. The flowers do not smell bad.