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Devil's walking stick is really more like a giant perennial than a tree or shrub. It sends up a loose colony of spiny ash gray stems from a rhizomatous root system. Mature specimens may grow to 20 ft (6.1 m) or more and develop a few branches, but younger plants have just a single naked stem with all the leaves clustered at the top. The stems are ringed with distinctive semicircular leaf scars which are lined with sharp toothlike spines - like a cartoon bulldog's collar. The exotic ferny-looking bi- or tripinnate leaves may be 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m) long. They are borne on long prickly stems and are themselves spiny along the ribs. The 2-4 in (5-10 cm) oval leaflets have pointed tips and toothed edges. They are dark green on top and whitish underneath, turning burgundy in the fall.
Location
Devil's walking stick is happiest in a good deep loam, but it will grow well on rocky, sandy, or clayey soils and is tolerant of a wide pH range. Growth is luxuriant on rich sites, but the plants tend to be sturdier and live longer on relatively poor soil. Occasional mowing, cutting, or prescribed burning will result in vigorous new growth. Margined blister beetles may defoliate the plants early in the fall. Light: This species will grow in full sun or light shade, but it prefers semishade. Moisture: Devil's walking stick will not tolerate extended flooding or longterm desertlike dryness, but it grows well on a full range of mesic sites, from low spots that are constantly moist with seepage to extremely well-drained hillsides which dry out thoroughly during droughts. Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 - 9. Severe freezes may kill stems back to ground level. The young spring foliage is very tender and likely to be burned back by a late frost if the plant is not protected. Propagation: Seeds should be sown in a coldframe as soon as ripe for spring germination. Stored seed will require stratification for 3-5 months, followed by 1-4 months at 68ºF (20 ºC) for germination. Three inch (7.6 cm) root cuttings can be taken in the late fall, overwintered upside down in sand, then potted up in the spring. Suckers transplant easily, especially in late winter.
Devil's walking stick is used in the landscape as an accent plant or for tropical effects. The bark, roots, and berries were used for medicinal purposes by both Indians and early settlers. The bark was administered as a purgative and the berries were employed in pain killing preparations. Various parts of the plant have been used to treat boils, fever, toothache, cholera, eye problems, skin conditions, snakebite, and venereal disease. The flowers of devil's walking stick must really pump out the nectar in the late afternoons, because that's when they are absolutely covered with honeybees. The berries are valuable as food for birds, black bears, and other wildlife.
Features
lcd 12/1/00; updated 9/25/03
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