FNPS Plant Database

Aralia spinosa

devil's walkingstick

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

devil's walkingstick

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Aralia spinosa

Family:

Araliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

8-12 ft tall

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

purple ,black

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruit ripe in fall.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Thorns

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or background hedge

Considerations:

When its huge triply compound leaves are shed in the fall, only the main thorny stem is left standing through the winter months--hence the name devil's walking stick. In the right situation, it can sucker aggressively.

Availability:

FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed, division

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|----|----|-------|---- <-----------------> ----|----|----|-

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (major storms).

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds, Mammals
Birds and small mammals consume the fruit. Birds include nuthatches, orioles, chickadees, titmice, and warblers.
Butterflies, Bees

Attracts butterflies and bees. Documented bee species include cellophane bee (Colletes mandibularis), confluent masked bee (Hylaeus confluens), pure golden green sweat bee (Augochlora pura), cuckoo leaf-cutter bees (Coelioxys dolichos and C. texana), flat-tailed leafcutter bee (Megachile mendica), carpenter-mimic leafcutter bee (M. xylocopoides), and zoned cellophane cuckoo bee (Epeolus zonatus) (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Native Habitats:

edges of dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The aromatic, spicy roots and fruit were used by early settlers in home remedies, including a cure for toothaches.

Citations:

Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf , accessed 2025).


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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