Devil’s Walking Stick | Glen Arboretum

DescriptionDevil’s walking stick is a member of the ginseng family (Araliaceae). The common name and species epithet derive from sharp prickles on the plants stems and branches9. The genus name comes from an old French-Canadian name of “aralie”9, applied to a baby girl and means “one who is a born leader”10. This deciduous, woody species grows to a height between 10-15 feet tall as a shrub or multi-stemmed tree but can be a as tall as 35 feet2,9. The stout prickles grow as extensions from the epidermis are lost as the tree grows. Its mostly alternate leaves are pinnately to tripennately compound and may be up to 5 feet long and 4 feet wide9, making them amongst the largest leaves of native plants in North America4. Individual leaflets are up to 3 1/2 inches long8. Thelarge leaves create a canopy in the shape of an umbrella4. The leaves are green during the summer and yellow to red in the fall.The flowers are a greenish-white color and cluster above the leaves. The fruits are fleshy pur...