So many different names so I am wondering if all are essentially equivalent.

I know these plants are can tolerate a good amount of shade but looking at various specific varieties I see some quite different characteristics:

For example for "Misty Blue" the flowers appear in the spring (with interesting berries in the fall)

By contrast "Carbonella" seems to have flowers in late summer.

As well I see on some sites that these plants can tolerate some drier conditions (in shade) whereas other descriptions mention the need for moist soil.

I am confused.

What has your experience been with snakeroot/bugbane/etc and what are your favourite varieites?