Aralia spinosa #2 (Devil’s Walking Stick)

Devil’s Walking Stick, also known as Hercules Club or Angelica Tree, is an untraditional, peculiar and thrilling plant that is native to Ohio’s open woods, rocky pastures and flood plains. It is a large, spreading, spiny, beautiful, unique plant that needs room to grow, away from high traffic areas. It is a fun curiosity for serious gardeners, a delight for birds and wildlife, and a plant for naturalizing in large, unused areas.

This large shrub or small tree is not for the faint of heart, as it tends to sucker freely to form dense colonies if not managed. It is a tough, pioneering plant that can grow in many soil types, but prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. However, it is very drought tolerant once established and tolerant of urban air pollution. The mesmerizing bi- to tri-pinnately compound foliage looks absolutely exotic and tropical. There are scattered prickles along the rachis (central stalk of the leaf) as well as along the length of the stout, gray stems, giving this plant its common names. The lacy, white flower clusters in late summer attract tons of bees and pollinators. The plentiful purple-black, berry-like fruits (drupes) in fall are eaten by many birds, especially Cedar Waxwings. The infructescence (the mature, fruiting inflorescence) is an eye-catching pinkish red color throughout the autumn months, adding to the attraction of the many ornamental features of this wickedly spiny plant.

Sources:
Native Trees, Shrubs, & Vines by William Cullina
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr
Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Illinois Wildflowers

Photo Credits:
Stem Detail: Celerylady, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leaf Detail: James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons