Goat's Beard is a striking perennial, featuring large and long white inflorescences that perfectly structure the backgrounds of dark and cool borders. Known to gardeners, this perennial holds a curious secret that only the initiated are aware of.
Goat's Beard in bloom in our gardens
This plant, known in Latin as Aruncus dioicus, is a dioecious species, meaning it has either male or female plants. It is not the only plant with this characteristic; many kiwis and palms, for example, are dioecious, but among herbaceous perennials, this phenomenon is rare, and what is even rarer is to observe dimorphism.
Indeed, male and female specimens are quite distinct, and it was by chance, while weeding one day at the base of a large stump, that I noticed these small inflorescences. What I initially took for a lack of maturity in the stems was simply the "natural appearance" of a male flower.
Female inflorescence of Aruncus dioicus
Speaking of appearance, and without intending to be sexist, the male flowers, with their small, dense, and poorly defined spikes, could benefit from emulating their graceful and slender companions. Shorter in stature, the male spikes measure about 1m, compared to 1.5m or more for the opposite sex. They are more compact, cylindrical in shape, fuller, and bloom 1 to 2 weeks later.
Male inflorescence of Aruncus dioicus
To see the differences in more detail, here is what the sexual organs look like:
Female flowers are identifiable by their bifid stigma
Males bear a large number of pistils
From sowing, it takes 3-4 years before the first flowers can be observed, but curiously, most seedlings are female, which is again quite rare, as it is often the opposite for many other dioecious species. Now that you know the secret, you will appreciate the beautiful structure of the inflorescences but won't be able to resist observing them up close!
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