Aralia californica

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Apiales

Familia: Araliaceae
Subfamilia: Aralioideae
Genus: Aralia
Species: Aralia californica
Name

Aralia californica S.Watson, 1876
Synonyms

Aralia californica var. acuminata S.Watson
Aralia racemosa var. occidentalis Torr.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
Regional: Southwestern USA
California; Oregon

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2006 (http://plants.usda.gov).
Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
{{S.Watson]], 1876. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Boston, MA 11:144. 1876
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) Online Database. [1]

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Aralia californica. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Nov. 19. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Aralia californica. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 19 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Aralia californica in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2018 Nov. 19.
Tropicos.org 2018. Aralia californica. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 19 Nov. 2018.

Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of the ginseng family native to California and southwestern Oregon.[1] It is also called California aralia and California spikenard.
Description

It is a deciduous, herbaceous, perennial plant growing to a height of 2–3 m on stems which are thick but not woody. The stems bear large green pinnately compound or tri-pinnately compound leaves 1–2 m long and 1 m broad, the leaflets 15–30 cm long and 7–15 cm broad. The leaflets are arranged opposite with an odd terminal leaflet. The greenish white flowers are produced in large compound racemes of umbels 30–45 cm in diameter at the stem apex; each flower is 2–3 mm in diameter, and matures to small (3–5 mm) dark purple or black fruit, each berry containing 3–5 seeds.[2]

It is distributed throughout western and central California and into Oregon. It is more common in cooler, moister areas in northern California, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. Birds eat the plant's berries.[2]

This plant is sometimes substituted for other species of its genus which are used as herbal remedies, such as American spikenard and Japanese spikenard. A preparation of the root has traditionally been used as an anti-inflammatory, a cough suppressant, and to treat arthritis.[2]

The Concow tribe call the plant mâl-ē-mē' (Konkow language).[3]
Flowers of Aralia californica
Elk clover growing adjacent to Copeland Creek within Fairfield Osborn Preserve
References

Linda H. Beidleman; Eugene N. Kozloff (2003). Plants of the San Francisco Bay region: Mendocino to Monterey. University of California Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-520-23173-3. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 406. Retrieved 24 August 2012.

Vernacular names
English: Elk Clover, California Aralia, California Spikenard
français: Aralie de Californie