hercules’ club or devil’s walking stick

HERCULES’ CLUB OR DEVIL’S WALKING

STICKAralia spinosa L.

Kingdom- Plantae (plants) Subkingdom-Travhebionta (Vascular) Superdivision-Spermaphyta (seed) Division-Magnoliophyta (flowering) Class- Magnoliopsida (dicotyldons) Subclass- Rosidae Order-Apiales Family-Arialaceae (ginseng family) Genus-Aralia L. (spikenard) Species- Aralia spinosa L.

Shape, Form, Type

10’ to 20’ in height.6’ to 10’ in widthDeciduous tree with a slow growth rate.

fig. 1

Bark

A light to dark brown.The bark has large moon shaped leaf scars.There are prickles on stout stems.

fig. 2

Twig

Green twigs branching out to leafs.Approximately a cm in diameter.Most trees have a single trunk with twigs and stems shooting up.

fig. 3

LeafAlternate; two or three compound leaves.Leaves may be 3’ to 6’ long.Dark green in summer.Yellowish in the fall.Each leaf has leaflets that are 2” to 4” long.Oval leaflets that come to a point and have toothed edges.

fig. 4

fig. 5

BudFrom the bud grows green to brown twigs.The twigs are covered in prickly spines.

fig. 6

FlowerSmall, white petaled, flowers.Grow 3” to 4”.Bloom in late summer, around July.They grow on the ends of the branches.

fig. 7

FruitFollowing the flowers, in late August, purple-ish berries appear.They are about .25” and grow on burgundy stems.Birds like to eat the berries.

fig. 8

fig. 9

Habitat and Range

The tree needs rich, moist, acidic soil.It grows in the Eastern US in open woodland areas.

fig. 10

Uses

Tree can be used as decorative plant where contact with spines wouldn’t occur.Can be put in front of windows to deter burglars.Bark, roots, and berries were used by indigenous Native Americans.Parts of the plant have been used to treat boils, fever, toothache, cholera, eye problems, skin conditions, snakebite, and venereal disease.

fig. 11

Resourcesfig. 1-Tree. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/arsp2.htm fig. 2-Bark. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/arsp2.htmfig. 3-Twig. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/arsp2.htmfig. 4-Leaf. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/a/arsp2-lf25393.htmfig. 5-Leaf. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/a/arsp2-lfleaflet25400.htmfig. 6-Bud. [Web]. Retrieved from http://plants.entrix.com/web_small/a/arali_spi_bud.jpgfig. 7-Flower. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/a/arsp2-fl28848.htmfig. 8-Fruit. [Web]. Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=arsp2_010_avp.tiffig. 9-Fruit. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/a/arsp2-fr29434.htmfig. 10-Map. [Web]. Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARSP2fig. 11-Limb. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/aral_spi.cfm

All found on June 23 and 24, 2010

All found on June 23 and 24, 2010

-Usda plant profile. (2010, May 19). Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARSP2-Missouri botanical garden. (2001) Retrieved from http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=C294- Evans, Erv. (n.d.). Trees: aralia spinosa. Retrieved from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/aralia_spinosa.html- Uconn plant database. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/araspi/araspi1.html -Floridata: aralia spinosa (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/aral_spi.cfm