Wild sarsaparilla
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. April 2019.
Scientific name: Aralia nudicaulis L.
Common name(s): wild sarsaparilla, false sarsaparilla, wild liquorice, small spikenard, shot bush, rabbit root
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- June in wild blueberry field
Description:
-perennial
-some consider it a small shrub
-leaves are:
- compound
- alternate
-blue-black berries
-the rhizome can be used to make sarsaparilla
- has a sweet taste
-can reach 1-2 feet in height
Habitat:
-forest edges
-woodlands
Natural History:
-the rhizome can be a substitute for sassafras in making rootbeer
Sources:
Go Botany. “Aralia Nudicaulis L.” Aralia Nudicaulis (Wild Sarsaparilla): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/aralia/nudicaulis/.