Oplopanax spp.

Devil's club

Araliaceae

Northwestern North America and northeastern Asia

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Oplopanax spp. is a genus of deciduous shrubs in the family Araliaceae, with about three species native to moist forests of northwestern North America and northeastern Asia. The genus includes O. horridus, devil's club, of the Pacific Northwest, along with O. japonicus and O. elatus in eastern Asia. Plants form sprawling, thicket-forming shrubs 1-3 m (3-10 ft) tall with thick, upright to leaning stems densely armed with brittle yellowish spines. The large palmate leaves, 20-40 cm (8-16 in) wide, are maple-like with 7-9 toothed lobes and spiny veins and stalks. Erect terminal clusters of small greenish-white flowers open in late spring to summer, followed by flattened, shiny red berries that crowd the spike into autumn. The genus spreads by layering where leaning stems touch the ground, forming dense colonies in damp forest understorey, along streams, and in seepage areas. The spines break off readily in skin and cause irritation. Devil's club holds long-standing cultural and medicinal importance for Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, who use the inner bark and roots. The plants need cool, moist, shaded conditions and rarely persist in hot or dry sites.

Native Range

Oplopanax spp. is native to the cool, moist forests of northwestern North America, from Alaska south to Oregon and inland to the northern Rockies, and to northeastern Asia including Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East. It grows in shaded forest understorey, along streams, and in seepage areas.

Suggested Uses

Oplopanax spp. is grown in woodland and shade gardens, native plant collections, and naturalistic streamside plantings where its bold foliage and spiny stems suit a damp, shaded setting. The inner bark and roots have a long history of medicinal use among Pacific Northwest peoples.

How to Identify

A spiny, thicket-forming shrub 1-3 m (3-10 ft) tall with thick upright to leaning stems covered in brittle yellowish spines and large, maple-like palmate leaves 20-40 cm (8-16 in) wide with spiny veins. Erect spikes of small greenish-white flowers are followed by crowded, shiny red berries; the dense spines on stems and leaves are a key feature.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 10'

Width/Spread3' - 10'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

Spring Summer

Flowering occurs from late spring into summer, roughly May to July depending on elevation, in erect terminal clusters of small greenish-white flowers. Pollinated flowers ripen into flattened, shiny red berries that persist on the spike into autumn and are eaten by birds and bears.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range4.5 - 6.0(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

loam peat

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Oplopanax spp. needs cool, moist, shaded conditions and grows in humus-rich, consistently moist but free-draining acidic soil with a pH around 4.5-6.0. It is suited to deep or dappled shade and struggles in full sun, heat, or dry ground. The shrubs are hardy in roughly USDA zones 5 to 8 and tolerate hard winters under snow. Growth is slow, and plants spread mainly by layering rather than by seed, which germinates erratically. The brittle spines detach easily into skin and cause inflammation, so the plants are usually given space well back from paths.

Pruning

Pruning is seldom needed and is awkward because of the dense spines. Dead or broken stems can be removed at the base in late winter, and the spreading colony can be limited by cutting back layered stems where they root.