''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.

Description

It is a deciduous,

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

, perennial plant growing to a height of 2–3 m on stems which are thick but not woody. The stems bear large green pinnately compound or tri-pinnately compound

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

1–2 m long and 1 m broad, the leaflets 15–30 cm long and 7–15 cm broad. The leaflets are arranged opposite with an odd terminal leaflet. The greenish white flowers are produced in large compound racemes of umbels 30–45 cm in diameter at the stem apex; each flower is 2–3 mm in diameter, and matures to small (3–5 mm) dark purple or black fruit, each berry containing 3–5 seeds. It is distributed throughout western and central California and into Oregon. It is more common in cooler, moister areas in

northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. Birds eat the plant's berries. This plant is sometimes substituted for other species of its genus which are used as herbal remedies, such as American spikenard and

Japanese spikenard ''Aralia cordata'' is an upright herbaceous perennial plant growing up to in height, native to Japan, Korea and eastern China. Its common names include spikenard, herbal aralia, ''udo'' (from ja, ウド), Japanese spikenard, and mountain aspar ...

. A preparation of the root has traditionally been used as an anti-inflammatory, a

cough suppressant Cold medicines are a group of medicinal, medications taken individually or in Combination drug, combination as a Symptomatic treatment, treatment for the symptoms of the common cold and similar conditions of the upper respiratory tract. The t ...

, and to treat

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

. The Concow tribe call the plant mâl-ē-mē' ( Konkow language). Aralia californica flower

Propagation

Freshly collected seeds can be directly sown into soil, and are expected to germinate in 60 days. Dried seed requires 2-3 months cold stratification.

References

External links

Jepson Flora Project: ''Aralia californica''USDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1722239 californica Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the United States Medicinal plants of North America Flora without expected TNC conservation status