Devil’s Club

Scientific name

Oplopanax horridus

Description

Devil’s Club is a deciduous shrub species that typically grows between 1 and 3 m in height. The leaves, stems, and leaf petioles are covered with sharp dense yellow prickles, which can cause skin irritation. The leaves are large, light green colored, palmately lobed, have irregularly serrated margins, and resemble a Maple leaf. The flowers are small, greenish white colored, and bloom between May and July. The fruits are small, shiny, bright red berries that appear in large pyramidal spikes, and ripen between June and August. The fruit and habitat this shrub provides are beneficial to wildlife species, such as birds and small mammals. The roots are good for controlling erosion and stabilizing shorelines. This plant is known to be culturally and spiritually significant to indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. This plant is also important for salmon spawning habitat because the large leaves growing along stream channels provide shade cover to eggs and hatchlings.

Planting conditions

Devil’s Club grows best in moist to wet conditions with partial sun exposure or shade. It prefers well drained to poorly drained, rich, acidic, sand, loam, or silt soil types. It is intolerant of drought. This shrub can be naturally found in moist forests and along shaded stream shorelines of the Pacific Northwest.

Details

• Plant height:
  • Max 2m
  • Max 3m
  • Any
  • Over 3m
• Moisture level:
  • Moist
  • Wet
• Light conditions:
  • Partial sun
  • Shade
• Soil type:
  • Sandy
  • Loamy
• pH:
  • Acidic
  • Normal
• Depth:
  • Potted
  • Bareroot
• Eco Zone:
  • 2a
  • 2b
  • 3a
  • 3b
  • 4a
  • 4b
  • 5a
  • 5b
  • 6a
  • 6b
  • 7a
  • 7b
• Plant type:
  • Shrub
• Height:
  • 1-3 m
• Spread:
  • 2 m