DEVILSCLUB 



Echinofanax horridum (Smith) Decaisne and Planchon 



The devilsclub is a sturdy shrub, rising above the ground four or 

 five feet on stout prickly stems. The maplelike leaves spread from 

 the stems about a foot below the red berries, and hide the ground, so 

 that one is not aware of its terrible spines until he tries to walk 

 through a thicket. No heavy woolen garment or leather shoe is stout 

 enough to withstand the bristling, hard, gray spines. Without the help 

 of an axe and a strong arm behind it, the thickets of devilsclub in 

 the Selkirk Mountains are often almost impenetrable. The scarlet 

 berries are very showy in late summer. 



This plant belongs to the Aralia Family, which includes other spiny 

 shrubs, such as the Herculesclub of the southeastern United States, as 

 well as ginseng and wild-sarsaparilla. 



The range of the devilsclub is from Oregon, Montana, and Michi- 

 gan to Alaska. 



The specimen sketched was obtained near Field, British Columbia, 

 at an altitude of 4,000 feet. 



PLATE 31 



