Aralia nudicaulis L.
Wild sarsaparilla
Wild sarsaparilla’s scientific name, Aralia nudicaulis, means simply “bare stem.” It is a native of northern North America.
Identification: Plants are 12-24" (30-60 cm) high. The leaves are all lined up in a flat plane, on bare hairless stems. Tiny white or pale green flowers form spherical clusters about 1½" (3.8 cm) around, underneath the leaves. They resemble wild leek flowers, but lack the leeks’ odor of onions. The flower clusters become similarly shaped berry clusters, with dark blue berries. Wild sarsaparilla is sometimes confused with “real” sarsaparilla, even though the plants bear no resemblance to each other and do not overlap in range. Here are some other possible sources of confusion:
Edibility: “Sarsaparilla” is Spanish for “little grape vine”—a name well-suited to real sarsaparilla, but not to wild sarsaparilla. I couldn’t verify this, but it looks as if roots of wild sarsaparilla were sometimes used as a flavoring agent in place of the real variety, leading to the name confusion. I couldn’t find good information on wild sarsaparilla’s toxicity. Online References:
Aralia nudicaulis from all-creatures.org Aralia nudicaulis on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site Aralia nudicaulis at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Aralia nudicaulis on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants Aralia nudicaulis on BorealForest.org Aralia nudicaulis on CalPhotos Aralia nudicaulis on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 388 5/2/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire 6/7/2017 · Burns Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Burns/Holland Farm, Milford, New Hampshire 9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine 5/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts The berries are sarsaparilla. Foliage is bunchberry. · 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine 5/18/2016 · Worcester Road, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire Aralia nudicaulis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine 5/21/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire 5/18/2013 · Oak Hill, Littleton Conservation Land, Littleton, Massachusetts Berries will become black when ripe. (The leaves are false Solomon’s seal.) · 6/4/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 5/17/2010 · Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Hollis, New Hampshire 5/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 5/2/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts The berries are sarsaparilla. Foliage is bunchberry. · 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine 5/18/2016 · Worcester Road, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine Range:
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