Aralia racemosa L.
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Authority
Wen, Jun. 2011. Systematics and biogeography of
L. (Araliaceae): Revision of Sects. , , , and . Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 57: 1-172. -
Family
Araliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Perennial herb, 0.6-2.5 m tall with large aromatic roots. Stem pilose, dark purple to greenish purple, with 4-5 leaves; rhizomes thick and horizontal. Leaves 50-83 cm long, 54-87 cm wide, ternately compound, spreading, purple at nodes; stipules 1.2-1.5 cm long, 0.4-0.9 cm wide, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, not leafy, glabrous, ciliate at margin, thick papery; petioles 15-30 cm long, purple; leaflets 7-20.5 cm long, 4.5-14 cm wide, thin papery, the pair of leaflets below the terminal leaflet ovate, other leaflets ovate to broadly so, acute at apex, subcordate to cordate at base, commonly oblique on lateral leaflets, doubly serrate at margin; lateral veins 8-9 on each side, conspicuous on both surfaces, leaflets green, nearly glabrescent on upper surface, pilose on lower surface, petiolules 0-3 cm long, pilose. Inflorescence terminal and axillary, pubescent; axillary inflorescences 6-21 cm long; terminal inflorescence 15-40 cm long, 3-10 cm wide, consisting of numerous umbels, primary inflorescence branches 15-25, racemosely arranged on a main axis, often 3-5 forming a circle on the upper part of the main inflorescence axis, each primary branch 3-14.5 cm long, consisting of 1-10 umbels, with a few lateral umbels bearing no fruits (functionally male umbels); terminal umbels 20-25-flowered, pedicels 6-8 mm long, pubescent, tip enlarged conspicuously at anthesis, somewhat slightly enclosing the base of the hypanthium; lateral umbels 10-20-flowered, pedicels 3-5 mm long; bracts ofprimary branches 3-5 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, linear, more or less pilose, ciliate at margin; bracteoles 1.0-1.5 mm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, linear, ciliate at margin. Sepals 0.2-0.3 mm long and wide, triangular, glabrous, persistent on fruits; petals 1.4-1.6 mm long, 0.9-1.1 mm wide, ovate, greenish white to white, with a conspicuous vascular bundle in the middle, spreading to recurved at anthesis; stamens 5, erect at anthesis, filaments 1.3-1.5 mm long, anthers 0.4-0.5 mm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, oblong, whitish yellow; ovaries 5-locular, styles 0.6-0.7 mm long at anthesis, base of styles more or less enlarged, appearing like a stylopodium. Fruits 4-4.5 mm long, 3.5-4.5 mm wide, globose, dark purple to purple, turning dark maroon-red when mature, persistent styles divided to the middle, 1 .3-1 .5 mm long. Seeds 2-2.2 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, 0.2-0.25 mm thick, kidney-shaped, whitish gray, smooth.
Uses - Aromatic roots used in syrup of spikenard, a tonic, or for cough and irritation of the bronchopulmonary tract.
Phenology - Flowering in June to August; fruiting in August to October.
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Discussion
Marie-Victorin and Rousseau (1940) described Aralia racemosa var.foliosa Vict. & J. Rousseau based on the presence of leafy bracts or leaf-like structures on the inflorescence in some collections from Quebec, Canada. This character is occasionally observed in specimens from other areas (e.g., Rauds.n. collected from Hancock Co. of Maine on 29 Aug 1889; and Clemens s.n. collected from Ironwood, Michigan on 28 Jul 1909). Scoggan (1978) proposed to recognize it as a form: Aralia racemosa L. f. foliosa (Vict. & J. Rousseau) Scoggan. I have found that the species is quite variable and I prefer not to recognize forms in this treatment. Aralia racemosa is easily distinguished from A. californica by the former's non-leafy stipules, much narrower inflorescence (3-10 cm vs. 10-25 cm wide), fewer flowers (20-25 vs. 30-75) per terminal umbel, shorter pedicels (6-8 mm vs. 12-20 mm long) on terminal umbels, and smaller fruits (4-4.5 vs. 6-7 mm long). The distinction between A. racemosa and A. bicrenata is discussed under A. bicrenata.
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Common Names
spikenard, American spikenard, Indian root, spignet, spiceberry, petty-morrel, life-of-man, old man's root