Devil's Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa)
Also called Hercules Club, Prickly Ash, Prickly Elder, & Angelica Tree

Description

• Ultimate height and width - May grow up to 20 feet or more. Width of an individual trunk and associated foliage is considerably less than the height unless there are numerous trunks arising from the same root system.
• Foliage - Huge fern-like leaves. The leaves on this tree are unique in that they are bi-pinnate or tri-pinnate (see image ??????). The leaves have small spines located along the ribs (??????).
• Trunk/branch/trunk characteristics - Stems (trunks) are covered with spines.
• Flower/fruit - Large clusters of white blooms located at the end of the branches in the summer which are replaced by black berries in the fall.

CPTED Properties:

• Access Control - Both visually and physically effective at deterring would be trespassers. Great for blocking access along property lines and first floor windows. Not a particularly attractive plant, or one suitable for training (through pruning), for planting close in highly visible areas.
• Natural Surveillance -
• Territoriality -

Requirements

• Hardiness & Urban Toughness - USDA Zones 4 to 9. Stems may dieback to the ground level following a severe freeze. Based upon personal experience, numerous sprouts will appear in the spring which can be thinned and trained back into a small multi-stemmed tree. Will tolerate a variety of soils.
• Light - Will grow in full or partial shade.
• Potential Urban Conflicts

(image)