Aralia spinosa
Devils-walkingstick, Hercules-club
Araliaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to Pennsylvania down through Florida
- hardy to zone 4
Habit and Form
- a deciduous small tree or large shrub
- multi-stemmed
- suckers
- 10' to 20' tall
- slow growth rate
- medium summer texture, coarse winter texture
Summer Foliage
- alternate leaf arrangement
- bi-pinnately compound leaves
- 32" to 64" long
- rachis are covered in prickles
- serrated leaf margin
- dark green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- yellow-green fall color
- inconsistent
Flowers
- small, whitish flowers
- borne in foot long terminal panicles
- blooms in July
- pubescent
Fruit
- black drupe
- 0.25" long
- matures in late August
- attracts birds
Bark
- stout stems with prickles
- straw colored
- large moon shaped leaf scars
- lenticels
Culture
- easily transplanted
- prefers moist, well-drained, rich acidic
- full sun to partial shade
- urban tolerant
Landscape Uses
- specimen
- border
- for the texture
Liabilities
- no serious pest problems
- suckers and spreads
- prickles
ID Features
- conical, small buds
- bi-pinnately compound leaves
- prickles on rachis
- coarse, unbranched habit
- serrated leaf margin
- small, whitish flowers
- lenticels
Propagation
- by seed
- by division
Cultivars/Varieties
- none