Plant of the Month: Aruncus dioicus, Goat’s Beard, Bride’s Feathers Rosaceae (Rose) Family   Illustration and article by Erin Savoy Edited by Samantha Elie Goat’s Beard or Bride’s Feathers (Aruncus dioicus) is a native perennial herb that grows upright and spreads by rhizomes forming bushy clumps. They sport several smooth stems that can grow up to 6ft tall and bear twice or thrice-pinnately compound leaves that tend to diminish in size the higher they are borne on the stem. The leaflets are somewhere between ovate to oblong-lanceolate in shape, coming to a point with margins that are sharply twice-serrated. High above those leaves are feathery clusters of tiny white-cream colored flowers that grow on long branched spikes, resembling skeletal fingers. This plant is dioecious, so the male and female flowers are presented on separate plants. The females have 3 reflexed carpels surrounded by 5 petals, while the males have 15-20…