Cimicifuga simplex James Compton

Cimicifuga or Actaea simplex 'James Compton' is a superb variety of black cohosh with very dark foliage and a highly fragrant flowering. This actaea is very similar to the cultivars 'Brunette' and 'Hillside Black Beauty' and stands out for its more compact habit and smaller size, making it suitable for small gardens. It also develops glossy and divided foliage, very dark purple-violet to almost black, forming a beautiful clump from which thin and flexible spikes emerge in late summer or autumn, adorned with pink buds that open into highly fragrant white-pink flowers. This perennial slowly establishes itself in moist soil, bringing lightness and height to partially shaded flower beds at a time when flowering is scarce.

Cicimifuga simplex, also known as Actaea simplex, is a deciduous herbaceous plant from the buttercup family native to forests in Japan and deep eastern Siberia, from Mongolia to the Russian Far East, to Sakhalin and Kamchatka.

'James Compton' is one of the dark-foliage forms (from the Atropurpurea Group) of this extremely hardy perennial. Developing from a knotty rhizome with fibrous roots arranged in compact masses, this plant slowly forms bushy clumps reaching a height of 90 cm (35in) when in bloom, with a minimum spread of 50 cm (20in). Its stems are covered with large compound, deeply cut leaves with toothed leaflets, as elegant as those of astilbes which are green when they first emerge. They gradually turn a very dark purple-violet colour, which appears almost black and is more intense when the plant receives sunlight. It flowers in late summer or autumn, in the form of large, purple, terminal inflorescences in spikes measuring 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in) long, upright or arched, covered with pink buds that open into light star-shaped flowers with vanilla-like fragrance. This flowering is highly attractive to butterflies and bees.

Black cohosh 'James Compton' will thrive in partial shade, in the dappled light of a clear understory or at the edge of a forest, in deep soil retaining moisture. This plant tolerates root competition quite well. At the back of low flower beds, its sculptural silhouette and bright flowers will create a beautiful backdrop for perennials that have finished flowering in late summer. In a shaded border, its dark foliage pairs well with pink and blue aster stars and stands out against the multi-hued hydrangeas, hardy fuchsias, and tall ferns. This plant is very graceful in a slightly wild area and will also make a beautiful focal point when planted in a large pot on the terrace. Its flowers can be used to create lovely bouquets.