wild sarsaparilla
Aralia nudicaulis
The plant produces a single leaf stalk that splits into three branches, a clever mimicry of poison ivy that helps deter foraging herbivores.
- Scientific name
- Aralia nudicaulis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Apiales › Araliaceae › Aralia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Moist, shaded deciduous and coniferous forests, woodlands, and clearings.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic)
- Range
- Canada, Northern United States, Appalachian Mountains
- Size
- 30 to 60 cm tall
- Lifespan
- Decades (individual clonal rhizomes can live over 50 years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, overbrowsing by white-tailed deer, and displacement by invasive plant species.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and safe to approach. Watch for its characteristic triple-branched leaf. Avoid consuming wild berries or digging up roots without expert knowledge to prevent misidentification with poison ivy.
Aralia nudicaulis (commonly wild sarsaparilla , 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 30–60 cm (12–24 in) with creeping underground stems.
Photo: Homer Edward Price, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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