Aralia nudicaulis

Wild Sarsaparilla

[ click on any image below to see larger version ]

Family: Araliaceae (Ginseng family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: May - July

Wild Sarsaparilla appears to have multiple leaves, but it actually only has one (or occasionally 2) leaves. The leaf emerges as a rachis (stem) and, about 15-40 cm above the ground, palmately splits into 3 leaflets, which then further split into 3 or 5 leaflets (making the plant look a bit like a small hickory). But look closely: the plant is not woody, and the 3 major leaflets all emerge from a single point, not alternately like a hickory would.

The flowers are on a separate stalk, typically in 3 globe-shaped clusters that eventually get almost as tall as the leaves.

22 April 2022 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (emerging plant with flower stem)	28 May 2021 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	28 May 2021 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA	19 May 2023 Shenandoah Mountain, Rockingham County, VA
12 May 2023 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (note serrations on leaflets)	22 April 2022 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (emerging flowers)	12 May 2023 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA	28 May 2021 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA
12 May 2023 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (flowers fertilized)	12 May 2023 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (flowers fertilized)	21 June 2021 Shenandoah National Park (Central District), VA (ripening seed heads)

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