Spikenard
Aralia racemosa. Ginseng Family.
Root.--Large and aromatic. Stem.--Often tall and widely branched, leafy. Leaves.--Large; divided into somewhat heart-shaped, toothed, and pointed leaflets. Flowers.--Greenish-white; small; in clusters in early summer. Fruit.--Dark purple, red, or black; berry-like.
The spikenard is conspicuous chiefly in autumn, when its partially ripened clusters of glass-like fruit are sure to excite, by their rich beauty, the curiosity of the passer-by.