February 9, 1935: 83 years ago

​Don’t grab on to this tree to catch your fall!  Aptly named “devil’s walking stick,” this species (Aralia spinosa) was collected on February 9, 1935 by John F. Lewis near Connellsville, PA.  The herbarium at the California University of Pennsylvania is named after John Lewis.  Many of his specimens in the herbarium are twigs collected in winter, without any leaves. 
 
Devil’s walking stick, also called “Hercules’ club” is a small shrub/tree native to forest understories, ravines, and forest edges across the Eastern United States.  It has huge leaves comprised of many leaflets, and as can be seen from this specimen – impressive, sharp spines along the stem (technically called “prickles” in botanical speak).  The prickles are so large that the specimen was too thick to image with our scanner used for other specimens.
 
This plant is often grown in cultivation due to its unique look, as is the closely related (and very similarly looking) Japanese angelica-tree (Aralia elata), which is native to East Asia. Japanese angelica-tree is listed as an invasive species under the highest rank (“Severe Threat”) by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources due to its ability to spread into wild habitats and displace native plants.

Above: Uniquely huge compound leaves and fierce stems of Devil’s walking stick in a forest near Salisbury, PA (Somerset county; May 8, 2017).

Below: Striking similarities to the closely related East Asian species Aralia elata.  (Mt. Pidan, Russian Far East; September 30, 2012).