Aralia spinosa

Common Names

Devil's Walking Stick, Hercules Club, Angelica Tree, Prickly Ash, Prickly Elder, Pigeon Tree, Shotbush

Summary

Aralia spinosa, commonly known as Devil's Walking Stick or Hercules Club, is native to the eastern United States and presents as a deciduous shrub or small tree typically 10–20 ft tall with a 6–10 ft spread, often forming dense thickets by suckering. Distinctive features include stout stems with sharp spines, enormous bipinnate to tripinnate leaves up to 2–5 ft long that create an umbrella-like canopy, large panicles of white flowers in midsummer, and clusters of black drupes that ripen in fall, with foliage turning yellow to dull purple-brown in autumn. For cultivation, it favors full sun to partial shade and medium moisture in well-drained soils, though tolerates rocky or clay soils and drought, and is hardy in USDA zones 4–9. It readily forms colonies via root suckers and self-seeding; propagation can be by seed, suckers, or root cuttings, and pruning during dormancy helps maintain shape while removal of root suckers prevents unwanted spread. It provides wildlife value with bees pollinating the flowers and birds consuming the fruit; it is generally pest- and disease-tolerant, though handling the bark or thorns can cause skin irritation.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

10-35 feet

Spread

6-10 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full Sun, with tolerance for Partial Sun and Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained loamy soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained, moist soil.

Soil pH

Aralia spinosa has no specified ideal soil pH, Broad pH tolerance from acidic to alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow, Yellow-green, Copper, Orange, Brown, Purple, Red

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Root cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, Attracts birds, Attracts other pollinators