Scientific Name:
Oplopanax horridus
Pronunciation:
op-loe-PAY-nacks HORE-ih-dus
Common Name:
devil's club
Family Name:
Araliaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Stems, petioles, and veins on underside of leaves covered in sharp prickles; leaves spirally arranged, rounded, most 15-25cm wide, palmate venation with 5-13 lobes; florets small with five greenish-white petals, in dense umbels 10-20cm wide; drupes red, 4-7mm wide.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Very coarse
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Bog
Water Use:
High
Landscape Uses:
Medicinal plant, Native planting, Security/barrier, Waterside planting, Wetland - bogs, Woodland margin (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate, Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Rugose
Colour in Summer:
Green, Green-yellow
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Orbicular
Apices:
Obtuse
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Palmately lobed, Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Green-yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun
Fruit Type:
Drupe
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Showy, Persistent, Poisonous
Bark Morphology:
Other
Bark or Stem Colour:
Dark Grey
Additional Info:
very prickly
Organ Modifications:
Prickles
Propagation:
Layering
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
