# Devil's Club (*Oplopanax horridus*) Devil's Club is a tall plant with big, spiky leaves and bright green stems. It grows in shady forests and is known for its unique look and sharp thorns! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate - **Snaps:** 20 - **Habitat:** Forests ![Devil's Club](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Oplopanax_horridus_13393.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oplopanax_horridus_13393.JPG) ## Appearance The Devil's Club has huge, palmate leaves, often over a foot wide, covered in sharp, woody spines. Its stems are also densely armed with yellow-green thorns, and it produces bright red berry clusters in late summer, making it look quite formidable. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Apiales - **Family:** Araliaceae - **Genus:** Oplopanax ## Interesting facts - Despite its scary name, it provides important shelter for small forest creatures! - Indigenous peoples have used its bark for generations in traditional medicines and ceremonies. - Its bright red berries look tasty, but they are generally not eaten by animals! - This plant often grows in damp, cool forests, creating an eerie, primordial feel. ## Special abilities - **Thorned Fortress:** Devil's Club can grow incredibly sharp, woody spines all over its stems and leaves that protect it from hungry herbivores. - **Forest Navigator:** Devil's Club has the ability to sprout roots and new shoots from fallen stems, helping it spread and conquer new areas. - **Shade Seeker:** Devil's Club has huge leaves to capture sunlight even in deep, shady forests, helping it thrive where others struggle. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-400 cm - **Spread:** 100-300 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** June-August - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** American black bear (*Ursus americanus*) — Bears sometimes eat Devil's Club berries in late summer. - **Eaten by:** [Elk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/elk) (*Cervus canadensis*) — Elk may browse on young shoots, despite the plant's sharp thorns. - **Pollinates:** Western bumblebee (*Bombus occidentalis*) — Bumblebees visit its small flowers, helping spread pollen. - **Shelter:** Douglas squirrel (*Tamiasciurus douglasii*) — Dense, spiny thickets provide safe hiding spots for small animals. ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate Stay away from the sharp thorns on the stems and leaves. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Devil's Club? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Devil's Club? 100-400 cm ### How wide does Devil's Club spread? 100-300 cm ### How big are the flowers on Devil's Club? 0.2-0.5 cm ### When does Devil's Club bloom? June-August ### Is Devil's Club edible? No ### Is Devil's Club toxic? Mild ### What is Devil's Club's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Chicken Ridge Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chicken-ridge-historic-district) — US · Historic District - [Kincaid Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kincaid-park) — Alaska, US · Park - [Santiam State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/santiam-state-forest) — Oregon, US · Forest - [Sitka National Historical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sitka-national-historical-park) — US · National Park - [Alaska Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/alaska-botanical-garden) — Alaska, US · Botanical Garden - [Capitol State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/capitol-state-forest) — Washington, US · Forest [View all places to see Devil's Club](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/devils-club) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Devil's Club: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/devils-club)