wild sarsaparilla

(Aralia nudicaulis)

Conservation Status
wild sarsaparilla
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Wild sarsaparilla is a 12 to 24 tall, erect, perennial forb. There is no aerial stem. It rises as basal leaves and a flowering stalk (peduncle) from the tip of a long, creeping, 1¼ to 4¾ deep, underground stem (rhizome). It often forms colonies.

In mid-April or May usually one leaf, sometimes two or three leaves, emerge from the leaf litter. The leaves expand in early spring before the canopy closes. Each leaf is deciduous, 6 to 15¾ long, is on a long leaf stalk (petiole), and is divided into three compound segments. The petiole is slender, 6 to 13¾ long, light green to dark red, and hairless. It is not spiny. Each primary segment is pinnately divided into usually 5, sometimes 3 or 7, leaflets. The two lateral segments are distinctly asymmetrical, with the inner (toward the terminal segment) leaflets smaller than the outer (toward the petiole) leaflets.

The leaflets are narrowly elliptic to broadly egg-shaped, 1¼ to 6 long, and up to 2 wide. The leaflet blade is rounded, narrowed, or somewhat heart-shaped at the base and tapered to a sharp point at the tip with concave sides along the tip. The lateral leaflets are slightly asymmetrical at the base. The upper surface is green and hairless. The lower surface is slightly lighter green and minutely hairy along the main veins. The margins are finely toothed with sharp, forward pointing teeth.

The inflorescence appears in May to June. It is a single umbrella-shaped cluster (umbel) of usually 3, sometimes only 2 or as many as 7, umbrella-shaped, secondary clusters (umbellets) of flowers. Each primary umbel is on a long peduncle that rises from the rhizome and has up to 40 or more flowers. The peduncle is 3 to 10 long, leafless, and minutely hairy toward the tip. It is usually much shorter than the petiole, causing the inflorescence to be hidden beneath the leaves. Each umbellet is globe-shaped, about ¾ tall, and 1½ to 2 in diameter.

The individual flowers are to 3 16 wide. The sepals are insignificant. There are 5 petals, 5 stamens with white anthers, and 5 styles. The petals are white or greenish-white, 1 32to 1 16 long, and strongly bent backward. The stamens have long white filaments that project well beyond the petals. The styles are fused together at the base and strongly appressed together for the rest of their length.

The fruit is a globe-shaped, ¼ to long, purplish-black berry with usually 5 seeds. It matures in about 32 days. It is edible but is not palatable.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

12 to 24

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

White

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Bristly sarsaparilla (Aralia hispida) is a much larger plant, up to 60 tall, that rises on an aerial stem. The stem is leafy and sharply bristly at the base.

Northern shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) seedlings look similar to flowerless wild sarsaparilla plants. The outer (closest to the petiole) leaflets of hickory leaves are always smaller than the inner (closest to the terminal segment) leaflets.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moist to dry. Deciduous and mixed woodlands, thickets, river bottoms, prairie edges, bog edges. Shade tolerant.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

May to June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  2/14/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Apiales (carrots, ivies, and allies)  
 

Family

Araliaceae (ivy)  
  Subfamily Aralioideae  
  Tribe Aralieae  
 

Genus

Aralia (spikenards)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

American-sarsaparilla

rabbitroot

shotbush

small-spikenard

Virginia-sarsaparilla

wild licorice

wild sarsaparilla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Compound leaf

A leaf that is divided into leaflets, each leaflet having the general appearance of a leaf, with all leaflets attached to a single leaf stem.

 

Filament

On plants: The thread-like stalk of a stamen which supports the anther. On Lepidoptera: One of a pair of long, thin, fleshy extensions extending from the thorax, and sometimes also from the abdomen, of a caterpillar.

 

Peduncle

In angiosperms, the stalk of a single flower or a flower cluster; in club mosses, the stalk of a strobilus or a group of strobili.

 

Petiole

On plants: The stalk of a leaf blade or a compound leaf that attaches it to the stem. On ants and wasps: The constricted first one or two segments of the rear part of the body.

 

Pinnate

On a compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a common stalk. On a bryophyte, having branches evenly arranged on opposite sides of a stem.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Umbel

A flat-topped or convex, umbrella-shaped cluster of flowers or buds arising from more or less a single point.

 

Umbellet

A secondary umbel in a compound umbel.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
 

Usually I've just seen the plant without the flower (which is underneath), but this year looking at it closely. OH!, this flower actually goes to this set of leaves which I see everywhere in my surroundings.

  wild sarsaparilla  
 

Bill Reynolds

 
    wild sarsaparilla      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    wild sarsaparilla   wild sarsaparilla  
           
    wild sarsaparilla      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    wild sarsaparilla      
           
 

Leaves

 
    wild sarsaparilla   wild sarsaparilla  
           
 

Infructescence

 
    wild sarsaparilla   wild sarsaparilla  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Andree Reno Sanborn
 
  Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)  
 
About

Preferred spring food of Moose, Whitetail Deer. Black Bear consume the fruits.

Birds: Food for Ruffed Grouse and thrushes

History:
Used by Native Americans to brew a tea

Rhizomes have been used to make beverages such as root beer.

Uses:
Alterative, pectoral, diaphoretic, sudorific. Used as a substitute for Smilax Sarsaparilla is useful inpulmonary diseases and externally as a wash for indolent ulcers and shingles. It is said to be used by the Crees under the name of Rabbit Root for syphilis and as an application to recent wounds. It contains resin, oil, tannin, albumen, an acid, mucilage, and cellulose.

Emerges from leaf litter by mid-April or May;

Leaves expand before the canopy closes.

Flowers May/July.

Fruits mature in about 32 days.

Leaves begin to drop by mid-September.

Dormant in winter.

Other common names include Aralia, False Sarsaparilla, Wild Sarsaparilla, Shot Bush, Small Spikenard, Wild Liquorice, Rabbit Root, Salsepareille

from www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/herbs/aralianud.html

 

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis )
wvoutdoorman
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 23, 2012

wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) plant

   
  "The Herb Guy" How to Identify Wild Herb Sarsaparilla
KEVINNOAD1
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Aug 9, 2010

How to identify the healing herb wild Sarsaparilla in early spring, the best time to dig up the root for for killing Lyme disease.

   
  Wild Sarsaparilla
raisingmyhand
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 25, 2013

No description available.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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  Luciearl
6/1/2018

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Usually I've just seen the plant without the flower (which is underneath), but this year looking at it closely. OH!, this flower actually goes to this set of leaves which I see everywhere in my surroundings.

wild sarsaparilla  
  Bill Reynolds
6/1/2014

Location: Pennington Co.

wild sarsaparilla  
           
 
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