Cornell PhD Student Uncovers New Pink Baneberry Species in New York Forest
Cornell Ph.D. student Justin Scholten identified Actaea rhodostigma, a pink baneberry new to science, while bushwhacking in Summerhill State Forest. Initial thoughts of a hybrid were overturned after genetic and morphological data showed distinct characteristics and pollination patterns (green non-biting midges). This discovery, the first new NY plant in about a decade, is found around Ithaca (Danby, Summer Hill, Bear Swamp). The plant is highly toxic, and climate-change–related shifts in flowering and pollinator timing could threaten its reproduction. Scholten credits advisor Chelsea Specht and Ariana Springer for collaboration, highlighting that more undiscovered species likely remain in the region.