''Aralia nudicaulis'' (commonly wild sarsaparilla,
[Dickinson, T.; Metsger, G.; Hull, J.; and Dickinson, R. (2004) The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 140.] false sarsaparilla, shot bush, small spikenard, wild liquorice, and rabbit root) is a flowering plant of northern and eastern North America which reaches a height of with creeping
underground stem Underground stems are modified plant parts that derive from stem tissue but exist under the soil surface. They function as storage tissues for food and nutrients, in propagation of new clones, and in perennation (survival from one growing season to ...
s.
Description
In the spring the underground stems produce compound leaves that are large and finely toothed. Tiny white flowers, typically in three, globe-shaped clusters wide, are produced on tall
scapes that grow about the same height as the leaves. These 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 3 stems which branch up and out, each forming 3 to 7 (most often 5)
pinnately compound leaflets; leaflets ovate, acute, serrate, green.
Technically, all the leaflets on one plant are considered to be one entire
leaf
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
, and the stems that connect the leaflets are called
rachis
In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft".
In zoology and microbiology
In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...
; this arrangement is called doubly compound. In some cases some of the leaflets are further completely subdivided, forming a triply compound pattern.
This species is similar to ''
Aralia hispida
''Aralia hispida'', commonly known as the bristly sarsaparilla, is a member of the family Araliaceae
The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and ...
'' (Bristly Sarsaparilla),
[ which is a little larger with stems covered with bristly hairs, hence the name. The stems of ''A. nudicaulis'' are smooth.
]
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. 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.The Biology of Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans)
, Nature North
The roots have been used as substitutes for true
Sarsaparilla Sarsaparilla often refers to the sarsaparilla soft drink, made from Smilax plants.
Sarsaparilla may also refer to:
Biology
*Several species of plants, of the genus ''Smilax'', including:
**''Smilax ornata'', also known as Honduran or Jamaican sar ...
(''Smilax'' sp.) in herbal medicine.
File:Aralia nudicaulis.jpg, Whole plant
File:Aralia nudicaulis NRCS-1.jpg, Seeds
File:Aralia nudicaulis BB-1913.png, Plant parts
File:Aralia nudicaulis 001.jpg, Flowers
References
*
External links
Connecticut Botanical Society: ''Aralia nudicaulis''
- pictures of leaves, flowers, and fruit for identification
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2859483
nudicaulis
Flora of Ontario
Hardwood forest plants
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora without expected TNC conservation status