GENUS i. 



GINSENG FAMILY. 



617 



About 52 genera and 475 species, widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions. 



Leaves compound. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees ; leaves alternate, decompound ; styles 5. i. Aralia. 



Herbs ; leaves verticillate, digitately compound ; styles 2-3. 2. Panax. 



Leaves palmately lobed ; styles 2. 3. Echinopanax. 



i. ARALIA [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 273. 1753. 



Perennial herbs, shrubs or trees, with alternate pinnately or ternately decompound 

 leaves, and small polygamous or perfect flowers, in racemose, corymbose or paniculate 

 umbels. Flowers white or greenish. Petioles sheathing at the base. Stipules none or 

 inconspicuous. Pedicels jointed below the flowers. Calyx truncate or 5-toothed. Petals 5, 

 spreading, obtuse, or with short inflexed points, valvate or slightly imbricate. Stamens 5. 

 Disk depressed. Ovary 5-celled; style 5. Fruit a small berry enclosing about 5 seeds. 

 [Name not explained.] 



About 30 species, natives of North America and Asia. Besides the following, 2 others occur in 

 the western and southwestern United States. Type species: Aralia racemosa L. 



Umbels numerous, panicled or racemose. 



Spiny shrub or tree; leaflets thick, ovate. i. A. spinosa. 



Branching unarmed herb ; leaflets thin, large, cordate. 2. A. racemosa. 

 Umbels 2-7, or more, terminal or corymbose. 



Plant glabrate ; leaf and peduncle arising from the rootstock. 3. A. nudicaulis. 



Plant bristly or hispid ; stem leafy, erect. 4. A. hispida. 



i. Aralia spinosa L. Hercules' Club. 

 Angelica or Spikenard Tree. Fig. 3089. 



Aralia spinosa L. Sp. PI. 273. 1753. 



A shrub or tree, reaching a maximum height 

 of about 40 and trunk diameter of 12' but usu- 

 ally much smaller. Stem, branches and petioles 

 spiny; leaves long-petioled, bipinnate, usuallly 

 with a leaflet at the base of each pinna ; leaflets 

 ovate, thick, acute or acuminate, stalked, ser- 

 rate, dark green above, glaucous and sometimes 

 slightly pubescent beneath, i'-4' long; umbels 

 very numerous, in terminal compound panicles ; 

 involucels of several short bractlets ; peduncles 

 and pedicels pubescent ; flowers white, 2" 

 broad ; pedicels 3"-4" long in fruit ; fruit 

 ovoid, black, 5-lobed, about 3" long; styles 

 distinct. 



In low grounds and along streams, southern 

 New York to Florida, west to Indiana, Missouri 

 and Texas. Freely planted for ornament, and 

 sometimes escaping from cultivation further 

 north. June-Aug. Wild orange. Pick or pigeon- 

 tree. Prickly elder. Prickly ash. Toothache-tree. 



2. Aralia racemosa L. American Spike- 

 nard. Indian-root. Fig. 3090. 

 Aralia racemosa L. Sp. PI. 273. 1753. 



Herbaceous, divergently much branched, un- 

 armed, 3-6 high, glabrous or slightly pubes- 

 cent. Roots large and thick, aromatic; leaves 

 ternately or rarely quinately compound, the di- 

 visions pinnate; leaflets broadly ovate or or- 

 bicular, thin, acuminate at the apex, cordate at 

 the base, 2'-6' long, sharply and doubly serrate, 

 sometimes pubescent on the veins beneath; 

 umbels numerous, racemose-paniculate; pedun- 

 cles and pedicels puberulent ; involucels of a 

 few subulate bractlets ; flowers greenish, about 

 i" broad ; fruit nearly globular, dark purple or 

 reddish-brown, about 3" in diameter; styles 

 united below. 



In rich woods, New Brunswick to Georgia, 

 Minnesota. South Dakota and Missouri. July- 

 Aug. Spignet. Spicebush. Petty morel. Life-of- 

 man. Old maid's-root. 



