| Aralia spinosa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Araliaceae |
| Genus: | Aralia |
| Species: | A. spinosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aralia spinosa | |
| |
| Natural range of Aralia spinosa | |
Aralia spinosa, commonly known as devil's walking stick, is a woody species of plant in the genus Aralia of the family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America. The various names refer to the viciously sharp, spiny stems, petioles and even leaf midribs. It has also been known as Angelica-tree. [2]
This species is sometimes called Hercules' club, prickly ash or prickly elder. These are common names it shares with the unrelated Zanthoxylum clava-herculis. For this reason, Aralia spinosa is sometimes confused with that species and mistakenly called the toothache tree. [3] It does not have the medicinal properties of Zanthoxylum clava-herculis.
Aralia spinosa is occasionally cultivated for its exotic or tropical appearance because of its large lacy compound leaves. It is closely related to the Asian species Aralia elata, a more commonly cultivated species with which it is easily confused.
- ^ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2020). "Aralia spinosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T152911024A152911026. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T152911024A152911026.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Keeler, Harriet L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 165–168.
- ^ Kristina Connor. "Aralia spinosa" (PDF). Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions, General Technical Report IITF-WB-1, Edited by John K. Francis. International Institute of Tropical Forestry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-04-17. Retrieved 2008-08-24.