devil's walking stick
Aralia spinosa
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size10 to 20 feet tall6 to 10 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Tree
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Gold/yellow, green, orange
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa) is a shrub for pollinator gardens, low maintenance spots, and specimen planting. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Each spring it shoots up a tall stem covered with orange prickles. Deer tend to pass it by. It spreads freely by rhizomes and suckers, so give it plenty of room.
Pairs well with Bur oak, Big bluestem, and Inkberry.
Native range
Eastern and central North America.