Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Part Shade
Height: 8-15″ 
Bloom Season:  July – August
Flower Color: Green – White

More Detail:

Suggested Uses: Wild Sarsparilla is used for wooded upland zones of shoreline restoration.  The berries are well-liked by foxes and bears. Nice woodland ground cover and grows well under evergreens. Great for restoration purposes.

Native Range: Native throughout the northern-most regions of the U.S and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Native throughout the state of Minnesota except for the Southwest corner.

Pollinators: Bees

Leaves: Basal leaves are pinnately compound with 3 leaflets.

Flowers: Appear underneath the canopy created by the leaves. Light green to white in color and arranged in umbels.

Berries: Dark purple berries

Note: Can be confused with Poison Ivy.

Food Uses: The rootstock is used for flavoring root beer.

Other Names: Spikenard. Note: Aralia nudicaulis differs from the “true” Sarsparilla of the genus Smilax which is found in tropical locations.

More Information: USDA PLANT profile