Bristly sarsaparilla
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated April 2019.
Scientific name: Aralia hispida Vent.
Common name(s): bristly sarsaparilla
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
-
- pre-flower, late June
-
- mature plant
-
- stem is bristly on lower parts
-
- inflorescence
-
- late July
-
- flower and fruit
-
- fruit
Description:
– perennial
– stem has bristles, not spines
-leaves are
- compound
- alternate
- teethed
– generally flowers June-August in ME
– ripe fruits as of August
Habitat:
-man-made disturbed land
-forest edges
-sandy fields and meadows
-roadsides
Natural History:
-the bark and the root have medical purposes
- relaxant
- stimulant
- kidney disorders
Source(s):
Hansen, R.W., S.B. Hansen and E.A. Osgood. 1991. Reproductive phenologies of selected flowering plants in eastern Maine forests. ME Agric. Exp. Station Tech. Bull. 143. 17 pp.
Go Botany. “Aralia Hispida Vent.” Aralia Hispida (Bristly Sarsaparilla): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/aralia/hispida/.