Aralia spinosa, or
Devils walking stick, has very large, dissected, tropical-looking leaves that
give it almost a palm-like appearance. Its range covers primarily the southeastern United States:
It produces very large clusters of small white flowers in mid to late
summer in North Carolina (July – September).
These flowers are highly attractive to a variety of insects that can be
considered beneficial: bees
(pollinators), predatory wasps (help with natural control of insect pests), and butterflies (aesthetically pleasing). I especially like visiting the plant in the
mid-afternoon because in full bloom it is often covered in large butterflies
like tiger, black, and spicebush swallowtails as well as monarchs. The photo below gives some idea of how this
looks.
I like plants that perform more than one ecological
function, and Aralia spinosa fits
that bill. Apart from feeding beneficial
insects in the summer, the berries it produces in the fall are also a valuable
food source for birds. This perennial plant
does have some downsides though, that may help to explain its limited
horticultural use. It is very spiny
along both stems and leaves, so needs to be handled with care. Also, it will spread some through
rhizomes. Unless they are cut back, individual
plants can grow into small trees up to about 30 feet tall. I deal with removal of unwanted specimens
using gloves, long-handled loppers, and a separate brush pile for spiny plant
material such as Aralia or blackberry. I’ve
found the best location for this plant is along a tree line or forest edge
where it can be contained by mowing and forest shade.
Some Links For More Information:
Habitat for Beneficial Insects http://www4.ncsu.edu/~dorr/Habitat_Information/Introduction/why_provide_habitat.html
Aralia spinosa Horticultural Information
Going Native - urban landscaping for wildlife with native
plants
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