Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Aralia Spinosa

Size:

10'-20' tall, up to 40' tall

Leaves:

alternate, odd-bipinnately compound, entire leaf 3'-4' long and 2'-3' wide, with or without prickles on the stem, with leaflets 2"-4" long and toothed

Flowers:

small and white in huge terminal panicles, attractive to bees; July-August

Fruit:

black fruit (called a drupe), in a cluster, attractive to birds and mammals; August-October

Fall Interest:

yellow to dull purple-brown; decidous

Culture:

partial sun to partial shade; medium moisture, well-drained soil; adaptable

Disease/Insect:

Use:

native garden

Cultivars:

Notes:

trunks ringed by leaf scars and stout sharp prickles; unbranched when young; spreads to form thickets by self-seeding and by sending up shoots from the roots; compound leaves are the largest in North America; native to Arkansas