210 ARALIACEAE 



confined entirely to the northeastern corner of the state, on dry 

 bluffs of ravines near Lake Michigan at Lake Forest, at Glen- 

 coe and at Willow Springs. It is said to be common in that 

 region. Its fruit, though sweetish, lacks the flavor possessed by 

 the fruit of certain other species and is little if at all used as 

 food. 



ARALIACEAE 

 The Ginseng Family 



The members of the ginseng family include herbs, shrubs 

 and trees. They are aromatic and bear alternate or whorled, 

 simple or compound leaves and inconspicuous, umbellate in- 

 florescences made up of perfect or polygamous, regular flowers. 

 There are 5 often very small sepals and 5 or 10 petals. The 

 stamens number 5 or 10 and stand alternate with the petals. 

 The ovary consists of 2 to 5 united carpels and is 2- to 5-celled, 

 with the same number of styles. The fruit is either a berry or 

 a drupe. 



There are about 475 species in this family, widely distributed 

 in both temperate and tropical regions. They are segregated 

 into about 50 genera, 3 of which are native in northeastern 

 North America. The single genus which follows is the only 

 shrubby one native in Illinois. Many members of the family 

 have been considered important as medicinal and dye-yielding 

 plants. 



ARALIA (Tournefort) Linnaeus 

 The Spikenards Sarsaparilla 



The spikenards are either perennial herbs or shrubs, which 

 bear alternate, petioled, pinnately or ternately compound leaves 

 with serrate leaflets. The flowers are perfect or polygamous 

 and are borne in raceme-like or panicle-like umbels, or in com- 

 pound umbels. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 stamens, and 

 the 5-celled ovary is capped by 5 spreading styles. The fruit 

 is a 5-lobed and 5-celled drupe, which contains as a rule 5 seeds. 



There are about 30 species of spikenards, all natives of North 

 America and Asia. Six of these species occur in North America 

 and 4 of them occur in the northern and eastern part of the 

 United States. Only the following is shrubby. 



