Aralia nudicaulis - Japanese Spikenard

Aralia nudicaulis, also known as bare-stemmed Aralia, is a perennial cousin of the large shrubby Aralias, known in North America for its medicinal properties. It is a rhizomatous plant with a more modest appearance but valuable for vegetating the understory where it spreads without ever becoming invasive. It has excellent hardiness, elegant foliage with dark glossy green compound leaflets, and charming spring flowering with small white-greenish flowers followed by decorative blue-black fruits. It will happily grow in an acidic and well-drained but not too dry soil, including under large trees.  

Aralia nudicaulis, from the Araliaceae family, is sometimes called wild sarsaparilla or Quebec sarsaparilla, where its roots have been used in herbal medicine as a substitute for European sarsaparillas of the Smilax genus. This species, native to the woodlands of northern and northwestern North America, is a perennial plant with an underground rhizome that emerges from the ground in spring and goes dormant underground in winter. It prefers the acidic humus of the understory and tolerates dry periods in summer quite well.

This aralia produces a single leaf in spring, carried by its own stem, reaching a height of 50-60 cm (19.7 - 23.6 in). It is divided into 3 groups of 3, 5, or 7 ovate leaflets with pointed tips and finely toothed edges. The colour of this foliage is initially tinged with dark red, then turns to dark glossy green at maturity. Flowering takes place in May-June. From the rhizome emerges a floral stem 30 to 40 cm (11.8 - 15.7 in) tall and devoid of leaves, usually bearing 3 inflorescences in the form of 5 cm (2 in) balls composed of small white-greenish flowers. This flowering is often hidden by the taller leaf. The flowers are followed by small green fruits that turn blueish-black when ripe in July. Although edible, these fruits have a resinous and unpleasant taste.

This is a botanical curiosity that will find its place in a clear understory or exposed to the morning sun. Once established, this aralia requires no maintenance and spreads as a ground cover. It can be combined with e.g. Solomon's Seal, Asarum, lily of the valley, liriopes, and other periwinkles to vegetate the soil under trees and conifers, which is often difficult to landscape.