Goatsbeard
Aruncus dioicus
Best cultivated in moist, rich soil, part sun/part shade. Good for around ponds or streams but happy in any moist soil. Grows to 6' tall and 4' wide. Gets flower 'spikes' that resemble Astilbe flowers but larger, they are usually cream color. Blooms in summer. Clump forming woodland plant. Propagate by division or seed. Hardy zones 3-9
Goatsbeard has 6-10" plumes of very small cream colored flowers. After flowers fade, the tall mounds of compound leaves provide a great background for later blooming plants. Native to deciduous woodlands of eastern and central US and also western Europe. Dwarf varieties are often mistaken for astilbe. The leaves are pinnately compound, bearing 20 or more 1" to 2 1/2" dark green doubly toothed oval leaflets.