Aralia nudicaulis

Last updated

Wild sarsaparilla
Aralia nudicaulis 002.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae
Genus: Aralia
Species:
A. nudicaulis
Binomial name
Aralia nudicaulis
L.
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Aralia nudicaulis f. abortiva Dans.
    • Aralia nudicaulis f. depauperata Vict.
    • Aralia nudicaulis var. elongata Nash
    • Aralia nudicaulis f. prolifera (Apgar) Britton
    • Aralia nudicaulis var. prolifera Apgar
    • Aralia nudicaulis f. virescens Vict. & J.Rousseau

Aralia nudicaulis (commonly wild sarsaparilla, [3] false sarsaparilla, shot bush, small spikenard, wild liquorice, and rabbit root) is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to northern and eastern North America.

Contents

Description

Aralia nudicaulis is a herbaceous perennial plant with creeping underground stems. In the spring the underground stems produce compound leaves that are large and finely toothed. Tiny white flowers, typically in three, globe-shaped clusters 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in) wide, are produced on tall scapes that grow about the same height as the leaves, about 30–60 cm (12–24 in) high. The flowers bloom from May to July and develop into purple-black edible berries. The leaves go dormant in summer before the fruits ripen. The berries taste a little spicy and sweet.

The stem of the plant grows straight up from the ground and divides into a whorl of three pinnately compound leaves with 3 to 7 (most often 5) leaflets arranged on either side of a central stalk. The leaflets are ovate, acute, serrate, and green. [4] Technically, all the leaflets on one plant are considered to be one entire leaf, and the stems that connect the leaflets are called rachis; this arrangement is called doubly compound. In some cases some of the leaflets are further completely subdivided, forming a triply compound pattern.

Aralia nudicaulis is similar to Aralia hispida (Bristly Sarsaparilla), [3] which is a little larger with stems covered with bristly hairs, hence the name. The stems of A. nudicaulis are smooth. [5]

Aralia nudicaulis is sometimes called fool's sang since it is often confused with American ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius ), another member of the ivy family (Araliaceae). The two species may be distinguished by their leaves. As described above, Aralia nudicaulis has pinnately compound leaves while Panax quinquefolius has palmately compound leaves (with leaflets radiating from a single point). [6]

Taxonomy

The first scientific name for Aralia nudicaulis was published by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark Species Plantarum in 1753. [2]

Habitat

This plant is so common in certain ecologies that it is an indicator species for these Eastern Forests of North America: Northern Hardwood Forest, Beech-Maple Forest, and Oak-Hickory Forest. [7] Also common in the Interior Cedar Hemlock forest ecosystem in central and southern British Columbia.

Because it sometimes grows with groups of 3 leaflets, it can be mistaken for poison ivy; the way to tell the difference is that Wild Sarsaparilla lacks a woody base and has fine teeth along the edges of the leaves. [8]

The roots have been used as substitutes for true Sarsaparilla (Smilax sp.) in herbal medicine.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Araliaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants commonly called the ginseng family. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguishable based on its woody habit, tropical distribution, and the presence of simple umbels.

<i>Daucus carota</i> Species of flowering plant

Daucus carota, whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World and was naturalized in the New World.

<i>Aralia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Aralia, or spikenard, is a genus of the family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs, and rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species occurring in mountain woodlands. Aralia plants vary in size, with some herbaceous species only reaching 50 centimetres (20 in) tall, while some are trees growing to 20 metres (66 ft) tall.

<i>Rubus phoenicolasius</i> Berry and plant

Rubus phoenicolasius is an Asian species of raspberry in the rose family, native to China, Japan, and Korea.

<i>Aralia spinosa</i> Species of tree

Aralia spinosa, commonly known as devil's walking stick, is a woody species of plant in the genus Aralia, family Araliaceae, 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.

<i>Panax ginseng</i> Species of flowering plant

Panax ginseng, ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng or Korean ginseng, is a species of plant whose root is the original source of ginseng. It is a perennial plant that grows in the mountains of East Asia.

<i>Aralia cordata</i> Species of plant

Aralia cordata is an upright herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 2 to 3 metres in height, native to Japan, Korea and eastern China. Its common names include spikenard, herbal aralia, udo, Japanese spikenard, and mountain asparagus. It is commonly found on the slopes of wooded embankments. Aralia cordata is a species of Aralia in the family Araliaceae.

<i>Rhus typhina</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhus typhina, the staghorn sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in southeastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States, and the Appalachian Mountains, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world. It is an invasive species in some parts of the world.

<i>Aralia californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of the ginseng family native to California and southwestern Oregon. It is also called California aralia and California spikenard.

<i>Rosa nutkana</i> Species of plant

Rosa nutkana, the Nootka rose, bristly rose, or wild rose is a 0.6–3.0-metre-tall (2–10-foot) perennial shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae).

<i>Sambucus canadensis</i> Species of plant

Sambucus canadensis, the American black elderberry, Canada elderberry, or common elderberry, is a species of elderberry native to a large area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south to Bolivia. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry soils, primarily in sunny locations.

<i>Rosa acicularis</i> Species of plant

Rosa acicularis is a flowering plant in the Rosaceae family. It is commonly known as the prickly wild rose, prickly rose, bristly rose, wild rose or Arctic rose. It is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.

<i>Rosa gymnocarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Rosa gymnocarpa is a species of rose native to western North America. It is known by the common names dwarf rose, baldhip rose, and wood rose. It grows in shady, damp, and rich forests.

<i>Tephrosia virginiana</i> Species of legume

Tephrosia virginiana, also known as goat-rue, goat's rue, catgut, rabbit pea, Virginia tephrosia, hoary pea, and devil's shoestring is a perennial dicot in family Fabaceae. The plant is native to central and eastern North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyscias fruticosa</span> Species of shrub

Polyscias fruticosa, or Ming aralia, is a perennial plant, dicot evergreen shrub or dwarf tree native to India. The plant grows fairly slowly but can reach up to 1 to 2 meters in height. The leaves are of a dark green pigment, glossy in texture, and are tripinnate and appear divided. Individual leaves vary from narrowly ovate to lanceolate and are about 10 cm long.

<i>Polyscias sambucifolia</i> Species of tree

Polyscias sambucifolia, commonly known as elderberry panax or small basswood, is a species of plant native to eastern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American ginseng</span> Species of flowering plant

American ginseng is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America and introduced in China. The specific epithet quinquefolius means "five-leaved", which refers to the typical number of leaflets per leaf. It is one of a group of taxa known as "ginseng".

<i>Panax trifolius</i> Species of plant

Panax trifolius, commonly called dwarf ginseng, is a plant native to the Northeastern and Appalachian regions of North America. It is found in low mesic woods with acidic soils.

<i>Oxypolis rigidior</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxypolis rigidior, known as cowbane, common water dropwort, stiff cowbane, or pig-potato, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family native to eastern North America. It is a perennial wildflower found in wet habitats. Oxypolis rigidior is poisonous to mammals.

<i>Aralia hispida</i> Species of flowering plant

Aralia hispida, commonly known as the bristly sarsaparilla, is a member of the family Araliaceae. It can be found in eastern North America from Hudson Bay south to Indiana and from Minnesota east to Newfoundland. It prefers dry and sandy soil, and is a perennial that blooms in June and July. It has a rhizome that can overwinter up to 50 centimetres (20 in) above ground. It has ovate to bipinnately compound leaves with 10 centimetres (3.9 in), serrate, ovate to shield-shaped leaflets on short petioles. Fruits are dark and globose.

References

  1. NatureServe (2024). "Aralia nudicaulis". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Aralia nudicaulis L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Dickinson, T.; Metsger, G.; Hull, J.; and Dickinson, R. (2004) The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 140.
  4. Thomas A. Naegele, DO from his 1970s book Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Great lakes
  5. Peterson, Roger Tory; McKenny, Margaret (1968). A Field Guide to Wildflowers . Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN   0-395-18325-1.
  6. Firestone, Chris K. (April 1, 2022). "Be awareno foolin'!". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. A Field Guide to Eastern Forests; 1988, 1998; John C. Kricher; Easton Press; Houghton Mifflin Company.
  8. The Biology of Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans) Archived October 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Nature North