Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
|
|
 |
| Creative Commons image by David Stephens, Bugwood.org. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION:
Sullivan, Janet. 1992. Aralia spinosa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/araspi/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION:
ARASPI
SYNONYMS:
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE:
ARSP2
COMMON NAMES:
devil's walkingstick
prickly ash
Hercules club
angelica tree
prickly elder
pick tree
toothache tree
shotbush
TAXONOMY:
The scientific name of devil's walkingstick is Aralia spinosa
L. (Araliaceae) [7,8,24].
LIFE FORM:
Tree, Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS:
No special status
OTHER STATUS:
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION:
Devil's walkingstick is found naturally occurring in eastern North
America from New York and Pennsylvania south to Florida and west to
southwestern Iowa and western Texas. It has escaped from cultivation in
New England to southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon,
Washington, and western Europe [4,19,33].
 |
| Distribution of devil's walkingstick. 1977 USDA, Forest Service map digitized by Thompson and others [39]. |
ECOSYSTEMS:
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
STATES:
AL AR CT DE FL GA IL IN KY LA
MD MA MI MO MS NC NJ NY OH OK
ON OR PA RI SC TN TX VA WA WV
WI
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS:
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:
K089 Black Belt
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K104 Appalachian oak forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
K109 Transition between K104 and K106
K110 Northeastern oak - pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
K114 Pocosin
SAF COVER TYPES:
16 Aspen
17 Pin cherry
18 Paper birch
19 Gray birch - red maple
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
25 Sugar maple - beech - yellow birch
26 Sugar maple - basswood
27 Sugar maple
28 Black cherry - maple
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
44 Chestnut oak
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
57 Yellow-poplar
59 Yellow-poplar - white oak - northern red oak
60 Beech - sugar maple
63 Cottonwood
65 Pin oak - sweetgum
75 Shortleaf pine
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
87 Sweet gum - yellow-poplar
108 Red maple
109 Hawthorn
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES:
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES:
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:
Insects harvest pollen and nectar from the flowers of devil's walkingstick [8].
The fruits are used as food by many birds and other frugivores, including
black bear [7,8,14,15]. Van Dersal reported that deer use devil's walkingstick
as browse [32]. White [37] did not observe any deer browsing of young
ramets but did observe stem damage due to antler rubbing.
PALATABILITY:
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE:
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE:
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES:
Devil's walkingstick bark, roots, and berries have been used for
medicinal purposes, both by Native Americans and European settlers. It
is planted as an ornamental in North America and Europe [33].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
Control: Devil's walkingstick is killed by aerosol applications of
glyphosate at rates of 1.50 to 2.25 pounds per acre (0.56-2.52 kg/ha)
applied three times at 2-week intervals from mid-August to mid-September
[35]. Korostoff [17] reported that devil's walkingstick is controlled
by cutting and application of herbicide to the stump. The most
effective treatment reported by Loftis [20] is injection of stems larger
than 2 inches in diameter with herbicide; basal sprays were ineffective
on his study sites.
Establishment: Devil's walkingstick populations are maintained only on
disturbed sites. When the overstory cover becomes thick enough, devil's
walkingstick declines. Defoliation by gypsy moth infestation in
Pennsylvania and Maryland resulted in an increase in stems per acre of
devil's walkingstick, due both to injury of devil's walkingstick
ramets and to release by removal of overstory [12]. Mowing or cutting
of stems results in vigorous sprouting of new ramets from underground
rhizomes and is recommended for maintenance of vigorous stands [14,15].
Fire also produces appropriate disturbances and stem damage, and could
be used to maintain devil's walkingstick stands [36].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Devil's walkingstick is a spiny, few-branched, flat-topped tree or
shrub 25 to 35 feet (7-10 m) tall. It grows from extensive rhizomes
[4,24,33,36,37]. The stems tend to remain unbranched until the first
terminal inflorescences are produced at an average age of 3.5 years.
There are abundant prickles on the stems and leaves of first-year ramets
[13,36,37].
 |
| Devil's walkingstick stem. Creative Commons image by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org. |
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM:
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES:
Devil's walkingstick perennates by rhizomes, producing ramets. Leaves
may be killed by frost in winter; severe frost can kill stems back to
ground level [13]. Flowers are pollinated by insects, mostly bees.
Seeds are dispersed by frugivores, and germination is in the spring
following stratification [8,32,33]. Artificial propagation can be
achieved through root cuttings [32].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS:
Devil's walkingstick is found in upland and low woods, pocosins, and
savannahs [24]. It prefers rich moist soils and is found at edges of
streams, and in thickets and shrub bays [13,33]. Some of the plant
species associated with devil's walkingstick include black cherry
(Prunus serotina), eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), tree
sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), red maple (Acer rubrum var trilobum),
American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), common persimmon (Diospyros
virginiana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Carolina jessamine
(Gelsemium sempervirens), Bignonia capreolata, St. Andrew's cross
(Ascyrum hypericoides), common sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria),
Vaccinium spp., and passionflower (Passiflora lutea) [23]. Associates
on a Texas shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)/white oak (Quercus alba)
community include Meliz azedarach, hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli), and
flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) [36].
Devil's walkingstick is found in Louisiana in openings in upland
hardwoods, with plant associates including sassafras, American holly
(Ilex opaca), flowering dogwood, sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum),
serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), common persimmon, Vaccinium spp., grape
(Vitis spp.), eastern hophornbeam, Viburnum spp., and Carolina buckthorn
(Rhamnus caroliniana). It is also found on gullied land and on moist
bottomlands with plant associates including American sycamore (Platanus
occidentalis) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) [28].
Devil's walkingstick is found in southern Appalachian forests in
openings from 8,042 square feet to 10,763 square feet (750-1,000 sq m),
with the frequency of occurrence dropping off with larger gaps; it is
not found in undisturbed understory [26].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS:
Devil's walkingstick is shade intolerant [31]. In a study of
succession in Illinois oak (Quercus velutina) woodlands , Shotola [27]
reported that a population of devil's walkingstick (documented in 1967)
decreased as a population of sugar maple (Acer saccarum) increased; by
1983, no individuals were found. The assumption is that the increased
canopy coverage was unfavorable to devil's walkingstick. Devil's
walkingstick is also found in abundance in clearcuts, but not in
adjacent intact pine plantations in Ohio. The population on this site
increased in the third and fourth years after the clearcut. There is
concern that the presence of devil's walkingstick on these sites may
delay subsequent establishment of hardwood species [1].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Devil's walkingstick flowers in July and August, setting fruit
that ripens from September to October [33].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:
NO-ENTRY
FIRE REGIMES:
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:
Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/root sucker
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Aralia spinosa
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:
Removal of aboveground portions of stems by means other than fire is
reported to result in vigorous resprouting of new ramets. It is
reasonable to assume, although not documented, that fire death of
aboveground stems would have the same result [36]. Periodic fires
create openings in forest canopies that allow devil's walkingstick to
establish and maintain populations [16].
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:
Since populations of devil's walkingstick are maintained only on
disturbed areas, periodic fires that create disturbed areas and forest
openings would result in seral sites that could include devil's walkingstick [15,16].
References for species: Aralia spinosa
1. Artigas, Francisco J.; Boerner, Ralph E. J. 1989. Advance regeneration and seed banking of woody plants in Ohio pine plantations: implications for landscape change. Landscape Ecology. 2(3): 139-150. [13633]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]
3. Blair, Robert M.; Brunett, Louis E. 1976. Phytosociological changes after timber harvest in a southern pine ecosystem. Ecology. 57: 18-32. [9646]
4. Blum, Barton M. 1974. Aralia L. aralia. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., technical coordinator. Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 220-222. [7459]
5. Dale, J. L. 1979. Mycoplasmalike organism observed in Aralia spinosa trees. Plant Disease Reporter. 63(6): 472-474. [20744]
6. Davidar, Priya; Morton, Eugene S. 1986. The relationship between fruit crop sizes and fruit removal rates by birds. Ecology. 67(1): 262-265. [20743]
7. Duncan, Wilbur H.; Duncan, Marion B. 1987. The Smithsonian guide to seaside plants of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts from Louisiana to Massachusetts, exclusive of lower peninsular Florida. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. 409 p. [12906]
8. Duncan, Wilbur H.; Duncan, Marion B. 1988. Trees of the southeastern United States. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 322 p. [12764]
9. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
10. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
11. Gibson, David J.; Collins, Scott L.; Good, Ralph E. 1988. Ecosystem fragmentation of oak-pine forest in the New Jersey pinelands. Forest Ecology and Management. 25: 105-122. [8635]
12. Hix, David M.; Fosbroke, David E.; Hicks, Ray R., Jr.; Gottschalk, Kurt W. 1991. Development of regeneration following gypsy moth defoliation of Appalachian Plateau and Ridge & Valley hardwood stands. In: McCormick, Larry H.; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. Proceedings, 8th central hardwood forest conference; 1991 March 4-6; University Park, PA. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-148. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station: 347-359. [15323]
13. Godfrey, Robert K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 734 p. [10239]
14. Hellgren, Eric C.; Vaughan, Michael R.; Stauffer, Dean F. 1991. Macrohabitat use by black bears in a southeastern wetland. Journal of Wildlife Management. 55(3): 442-448. [15420]
15. Hellgren, Eric C.; Vaughan, Michael R. 1988. Seasonal food habits of black bears in Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia - North Carolina. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 42: 295-305. [19221]
16. Johnson, A. Sydney; Hillestad, Hilburn O.; Shanholtzer, Sheryl Fanning; Shanholtzer, G. Frederick. 1974. An ecological survey of the coastal region of Georgia. Scientific Monograph Series No 3, NPS 116. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 233 p. [16102]
17. Korostoff, Neil P. 1990. Urban ecosystem restoration: the case of the forested urban stream valley park. In: Hughes, H. Glenn; Bonnicksen, Thomas M., eds. Restoration '89: the new management challenge: Proceedings, 1st annual meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration; 1989 January 16-20; Oakland, CA. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Society for Ecological Restoration: 110-124. [14692]
18. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
19. Little, Elbert L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 375 p. [2952]
20. Loftis, David L. 1978. Preharvest herbicide control of undesirable vegetation in southern Appalachian hardwoods. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 2(2): 51-54. [10632]
21. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No. 14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
22. Platt, William J.; Schwartz, Mark W. 1990. Temperate hardwood forests. In: Myers, Ronald L.; Ewel, John J., eds. Ecosystems of Florida. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Press: 194-229. [17390]
23. Quarterman, Elsie; Keever, Catherine. 1962. Southern mixed hardwood forest: climax in the southeastern coastal plain, U.S.A. Ecological Monographs. 32: 167-185. [10801]
24. Radford, Albert E.; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, C. Ritchie. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. 1183 p. [7606]
25. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
26. Runkle, James Reade. 1982. Patterns of disturbance in some old-growth mesic forests of eastern North American. Ecology. 63(5): 1533-1546. [9261]
27. Shotola, Steven J.; Weaver, G. T.; Robertson, P. A.; Ashby, W. C. 1992. Sugar maple invasion of an old-growth oak-hickory forest in southwestern Illinois. The American Midland Naturalist. 127(1): 125-138. [17581]
28. Smalley, Glendon W. 1991. Classification and evaluation of forest sites on the Natchez Trace State Forest, State Resort Park, & Wildlife Management Area in w. Tennessee. SO-85. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 73 p. [17981]
29. Smith, Edwin B. 1982. Juvenile and adult leaflet phases in Aralia spinosa (Araliaceae). SIDA. 9(4): 330-332. [19223]
30. Steinbeck, Klaus; Dougherty, Phillip M.; Fitzgerald, Judith A. 1991. Growth of pine-hardwood mixtures on two upland sites in the Georgia piedmont: initial crown area relationships. In: Coleman, Sandra S.; Neary, Daniel G., compilers. Proceedings, 6th biennial sothern silvicultural research conference: Volume 2; 1990 October 30 - November 1; Memphis, TN. Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-70. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station: 607-615. [17504]
31. Stevens, George C.; Perkins, Anjeanette L. 1992. The branching habits and life history of woody plants. The American Naturalist. 139(2): 267-275. [17983]
32. Van Dersal, William R. 1938. Native woody plants of the United States, their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 362 p. [4240]
33. Vines, Robert A. 1960. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the Southwest. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. 1104 p. [7707]
34. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982. National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names. SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
35. Wendel, G. W.; Kochenderfer, J. N. 1982. Glyphosate controls hardwoods in West Virginia. Res. Pap. NE-497. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 7 p. [9869]
36. White, Peter S. 1984. The architecture of devil's walking stick, Aralia spinosa (Araliaceae). Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 65: 403-418. [19224]
37. White, Peter S. 1988. Prickle distribution in Aralia spinosa (Araliaceae). American Journal of Botany. 75(2): 282-285. [19222]
38. Wilson, Robert E. 1989. The vegetation of a pine-oak forest in Franklin County, Texas, and its comparison with a similar forest in Lamar County, Texas. Texas Journal of Science. 41(2): 167-176. [8771]
39. Thompson, Robert S.; Anderson, Katherine H.; Bartlein, Patrick J. 1999. Digital representations of tree species range maps from "Atlas of United States trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications). In: Atlas of relations between climatic parameters and distributions of important trees and shrubs in North America. Denver, CO: U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services (Producer). On file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; FEIS files. [92575]
FEIS Home Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/araspi/all.html
