Actaea is a genus of about 25 to 33 species of flowering herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), native to subtropical, temperate, and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. A taxonomic reorganisation absorbed the genus Cimicifuga into Actaea, which now includes both the classic baneberries with their berries of dramatic colour and the tall, wand-flowered bugbanes prized in shade garden design for their late-season flower spikes that rise dramatically above the foliage.

Bees visit the flowers reliably. The genus tolerates Black Walnut, making it one of the few ornamental shade plants that can be established beneath or near Juglans species. Growing in zones 4 to 8 in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil in partial to full shade, members of this genus collectively provide structure, foliage interest, and late-season flowers for the woodland garden in ways that few other shade perennials match in range or impact.