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Wild Sarsaparilla

Aralia nudicaulis. Ginseng Family.

Stem.--Bearing a single large, long-stalked, much-divided leaf, and a shorter naked scape which bears the rounded flower-clusters. Flowers.--Greenish-white; in umbels. Calyx.--With short or obsolete teeth. Corolla.--Of five petals. Stamens.--Five. Fruit.--Black or dark-purple; berry-like. In the June woods the much-divided leaf and rounded flower-clusters of the wild sarsaparilla are frequently noticed, as well as the dark berries of the later year. The long aromatic roots of this plant are sold as a substitute for the genuine sarsaparilla. The rice-paper plant of China is a member of this genus.