Native Plant of the Week – Devil’s Club – Oplopanax horridus

Introduction

Devil’s Club, Devil’s Walking Stick, or Oplopanax horridus, has long been one of my favorite native plants. I have spent many hours in the forest over the years admiring the leaves in the dappled sunlight reaching them through the forest canopy. It is a plant to be respected, in part because of its large size and its beautiful leaves. In part because of its powerful medicinal properties. Also, it should be respected because of its nasty, irritating spines you do not want in your skin. Once pricked it can sting for up to 48 hours or even more if they spines remain in your skin. I do not go near this gorgeous plant with a good pair of leather gloves. The ‘nastier’ and more unique a plant is, however, the more I respect it. Devil’s Club are tough, tenacious, patient, and almost magical plants. I think I understand why some native Americans used it in ceremonies.

For more than 20 years I have been ethically wildcrafting the bark of the roots to make medicines with. The medicinal properties of this plant are quite strong and the bark is very effective in treating a number of ailments. If you do harvest any of this unique and somewhat rare native plant, please do so ethically. See Traditional or Other Uses and the Ethical Wildcrafting sections below for more information. If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Me for more information.   

Description of Devil’s Club Oplopanax horridus

Leaves & Stem

Oplopanax horridus is commonly known as Devil’s Club or sometimes Devil’s Walking Stick. It is a member of the Araliaceae family along with ginseng and many others.  Devil’s Club is a large understory shrub 1 to 3 m tall, erect to somewhat sprawling. It frequently falls prostrate on the ground and roots from its fallen stems. It also spreads vegetatively through its spreading rhizomes, often producing clonal patches. The stems are all very densely covered with sharp spines that can be very irritating when they pierce the skin. The irritation, once pierced in the skin, can sometimes last for several days.

Devil’s Club has large palmate leaves (lobed maple-like leaves) with from 5 to 13 lobes on each leaf. The leaves may have spines along the leaf veins on both the upper and lower surfaces. The leaves have long petioles and are notched at their base where the petiole attaches. They are arranged on the stem spirally and are usually very large, anywhere from 15 – 45 cm across.   In the fall its large leaves turn yellow and drop off before winter, returning in early spring the following year.

Flowers & Fruit

In spring Devil’s Club produces 10 – 20 cm diameter dense pyramidal compound racemes of umbels of small greenish-white flowers. Each small bisexual flower has 5 greenish-white petals. 

These are followed by clusters of small round red drupes (a fleshy fruit with a hard pit) about 4 – 7 mm in diameter.  Even though it produces seeds in its drupes, more often it produces populations of clones that grow from spreading rhizomes.

Similar Species Frequently Confused With

Devil’s Club is a unique shrub in its region and hard to confuse with other species. Between the large spiny leaves, the spiny stems, and the pyramidal umbels of flowers and drupes it would be difficult to misidentify. However, when the flowers and berries are not present, the leaves could superficially be mistaken for the following species:

• Ricinus communis – the Castor Plant, an invasive species making its way into the Pacific Northwest of USA and western Canada. It has large palmate leaves and terminal pyramidal flower clusters like Devil’s Club but is entirely lacking in spines and is monoecious rather than bisexual.
• Heracleum maximum – Giant Cow Parsnip – an invasive species widespread throughout the range of Devil’s Club with large palmate leaves. However this is a herbaceous perennial with soft stems, not woody, and also lacks the spines. Its flowers are also large white umbels not the terminal pyramidal clusters seen in Devil’s Club.
• Acer macrophyllum – Big Leaf Maple in a shrub or small tree size could at a distance look similar, but it lacks the similar flowers and has no spines at all.
• Ribes bracteosum – while it sometimes can bear small thorns it lacks the large spines seen in Devil’s Club, its leaves are also more of a medium size palmate variety, and the flowers are completely different.

Habitat & Growing Conditions of Oplopanax horridus

Devil’s Club is an indicator species for wetlands and old growth forests as these are its preferred habitats. It can be found in damp forests, riparian areas, as well as coniferous and mixed forests throughout its range. Because it prefers moist, dense forests with little or no disturbance this makes them sensitive to logging and other human impacts. It prefers cool conditions from low to subalpine elevations.

Devil’s Club grows in rich, loamy soils that are consistently moist. It can tolerate seasonal flooding and waterlogged soils. It prefers full shade but can grow in part shade if the conditions are right. It will not grow well in full sun and patches often slowly die when exposed to the forest edge by logging or development.

Growing Devil’s Club in Your Garden

Since Devil’s Club is fond of damp forests it may be difficult to grow in your yard unless you have forested or otherwise somewhat shady spaces on your land. It will not grow in full sun. You can buy seeds online through the Amazon Affiliates link at the bottom. If you have shady damp forest then it will be easy to grow, simply plant young plants or seedlings in the damp shady forest, be sure to water them if it gets too dry and feed it lots of organic compost as it gets started. After that, leave it alone and it will do well.

If you do not have a forest or have a dry forest but still want to try growing it here are some things you could try. Be sure the location is at least in partial shade, never full sun. If it is in a drier forest what you can do is dig a depression into your chosen location and fill it with lots of organic compost. Compost holds moisture very well and the depression will collect the water you give it as well as rainwater that falls naturally. The idea is to create a spot for water to collect to create a more moist micro-climate. Then plant your plants or seedlings in the depression and check on them periodically to make sure they do not dry out too much. Do not keep them waterlogged all the time either, they just need to be moist.

If you have shade and no forest you can do the same as above, create a small depression somewhere in part shade. If the soil is poor remove about 50 cm at least of soil and fill it with humus-rich topsoil or a mix of soil with lots of organic compost. Then plant the Devil’s Club there. If there is not too much sun it will still grow outside of a forest setting. The key is to plant it and leave it alone as it does not like to be disturbed or fussed over in any way.

Wildlife Values of Devil’s Club

Bears are known to eat the berries of Devil’s Club and slugs will feed on the leaves. Otherwise due to the spines most animals leave them alone.

Distribution of Oplopanax horridus

Devil’s club is endemic to northern North America, being found nowhere else in the world. The genus Oplopanax does contain two other species but these are both found in Eastern Asia.

In Canada, the Devil’s Club is native to BC, Alberta, and the Yukon Territories with a disjunct distribution with a much smaller isolated population on two islands of Lake Superior in Ontario. 

In the USA it is native to the Pacific Northwest in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, southcentral Alaska, and also with an isolated population in Michigan on one island of Lake Superior on the USA side of the border. 

Status of Oplopanax horridus

Oplopanax horridus conservation status is considered Globally Secure (G5).

Currently, however, it is only considered Secure in British Columbia, Canada and Montana, USA. Locally in Canada in the Yukon Territories and Alberta, it is considered Vulnerable (S3). In the USA in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho it is currently unranked.

The isolated population on the three islands in Lake Superior is considered Critically Imperilled (S1) in Ontario, Canada, and Imperilled (S2) in Michigan, USA.   

Traditional or Other Uses of Devil’s Club

The Devil’s Club has a very long history of use by First Nations peoples of the Pacific Northwest.  It was used in many ceremonial and medicinal ways. 

Devil’s Club as Food

The Oweekeno boiled the young spring buds and ate them as food.

Ceremonial Uses of Devil’s Club

The spines were used by the Bella Coola to ward off evil spirits. Gitzgan, Wet’suwet’en, and Haisla chewed the root bark as part of a pre-hunting purification ritual. The Kitasoon bathed in an infusion before hunting to remove the human smell. Haisla and Hanaksiala used it in purification ceremonies. Makah medicine men used it in their ceremonies.

The Haisla made the ashes of the wood into a ceremonial face paint for their warriors. Haisla and Hanaksiala used the ash mixed with salmon roe as a face paint for dancing. Their shamans would also use it to expel evil spirits from their patients. Nitinaht used the wood ash as a face paint to make their ceremonial dancers more powerful. The Lummi also used the ash mixed with grease as a face paint. They also used an infusion to cleanse the area where people had died.

The Haisla and Hanaksiala used the bark as a good luck charm by hunters, fishers, and shaman. Kwakiutl used it for protection and its magical powers. Tsimshian shamans, novices, and warriors used it for power.

The dried bark powder was used by the Green River Group as a deodorant. Haisla and Hanaksiala used an infusion of the bark after bathing.

Devil’s Club as Tools

The Clallam, Makah, Klallam, and Nitinaht people used the wood for fishing lures of various kinds. Hesquiat used the wood for fishing lures and for spearing octopus.

The Hesquiat used bark and berries as paint for baskets and other objects.

Medicinal Uses of Oplopanax horridus

Internal Uses of Devil’s Club

It is usually the root bark that is used medicinally, but occasionally the berries or leaves are also used. The Bella Coola, Haisla, Nitinaht, and Gitzgan used a bark decoction internally it to treat rheumatism (arthritis). The Gitzgan, Cowlitz, Haisla, Hanaksiala, Okanagan-Colville, Oweekeno, Sanpoil, Wet’suwet’en, and Green River Group took it internally for colds, coughs and bronchitis.

The Bella Coola, Gitzgan, and Carrier used the the bark as an emetic and purgative, either chewed or taken in hot water. Gitzgan, Okanagan, Oweekeno, Thompson, Wet’suwet’en, and Haisla took an infusion as a tonic or blood cleanser. The Haislan and Hanaksiala sometimes made an infusion with sea water and used that as a powerful emetic.

The Gitzgan took it internally for stomach pain and ulcers as well as flu and for gonorrhea. Haisla, Hanaksiala, Okanagan, Thompson, and Kwakiutl used a decoction internally for stomach problems and as a laxative. The Thompson also used it as a dietary aid to stimulate appetite, curb weight loss, and treat ulcers. Wet’suwet’en used the decoction to treat the flu.

The Gitzgan, Wet’suwet’en and Haisla also took it with other herbs internally to treat cancer. Gitzgan, Haisla, Wet’suwet’en, and Thompson took it with other herbs for diabetes. Kwakiutl, Skagit, Okanagan-Colville, Gitzgan, Haisla, and Wet’suwet’en took it as a decoction for tuberculosis. Gitzgan, Haisla, Wet’suwet’en, Nitinaht, and Thompson took it with other herbs broken bones or other problems related to bones. Skagit used a decoction after childbirth as a gynecological aid.

External Uses of Devil’s Club

The Carrier, Oweekeno, Coast Salish, and Kwakiutl used the bark as a poultice and took it internally as an analgesic for pain. The Cowlitz, Haisla, Hanaksiala, Makah, Nitinaht, Oweekeno, Coast Salish, Wet’suwet’en, and Gitzgan used it externally in a wash or a poultice for arthritic joints and rheumatism. The Coast Salish used the prickly spines on the skin as a counter-irritant for pain. Kwakiutl used it in a steam bath as an analgesic for pain. The Gitzgan, Wet’suwet’en, and Haisla used the bark in a poultice for wounds, sores, boils, ulcers, as a skin wash, and as an antihemorrhagic. The Okanagan, Tlingit, and Thompson used the burned stems with grease as a salve for sores and pain. Lummi used the bark poultice for nursing women to stop excessive milk flow.

Haisla and Hanaksiala used a bark infusion as an eyewash, especially for cataracts. The Oweekeno mashed the berries and used it as a treatment for head lice.

The Cheyenne and Crow people mixed the bark with tobacco and smoked it as an analgesic for headache.

Modern Uses of Devil’s Club as Medicine

Modern pharmaceutical applications include the use of it to treat tuberculosis.  Herbalists use Devil’s Club for coughs, colds, and as an analgesic. Personally, I have been making it into tinctures for respiratory infections and flu for over 20 years. I used to make a popular salve with it among other ingredients, that I sold under my own company label used for first aid, fungal and viral infections. 

Ethical Wildcrafting of Oplopanax horridus for Medicinal Use

If you do harvest the root from the wild please keep in mind it is a slow-growing plant whose range is decreasing. Alternatively grow it in your garden if you live in an area where it is native especially. See the Growing Devil’s Club in Your Garden section above.

Please always follow Ethical Wildcrafting guidelines when harvesting any plant from nature. Choose a large healthy population, not located in a protected area. Try to always only harvest from one plant near the outside of the population, and never dig up the whole plant. And always follow the 1 in 20 rule of ethical wildcrafting.

Wildcrafting and Processing

Wear gloves when working with Devil’s Club as the thorns are very irritating. I like to use leather gloves that are also waterproof (see Resources below) because the leather protects your skin and being waterproof is a benefit as Devil’s Club usually grows in wet or moist environments. Also, be sure you have a good quality, sharpened knife for cutting the roots to prevent causing unnecessary damage to the plant. I always like to bring my survival knife with me for projects like this because then it serves a dual purpose. I suggest a decent, affordable one in the links below.

Gently dig around the base of a single plant with your hands or a digging stick. Never use a shovel or you will damage other roots. Find a nice root and sever it with a clean sharp blade. Once severed it is best to seal the wound with ashes to prevent the root from getting infected.  Then take the root home, brush the dirt off (do not wash it), and scrape off all of the bark. The bark is what contains the most medicinal compounds.

Dry the bark and use it in infusions in teas or salves, or make it into long-lasting alcohol-based tinctures. I have always saved the wood from the root and put it in my plant pots to hold trailing stems or simply for decoration. I did this out of respect for the plant and not wanting to waste any part of it.  

References and Resources

Canadensys Plant Search https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Dictionary of Botanical Terms – by Lyrae’s Nature Blog https://lyraenatureblog.com/blog/dictionary-of-botanical-terms/

Native American Ethnobotany http://naeb.brit.org/

Natureserve Explorer https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.148842/Oplopanax_horridus 

Pojar, Jim; Andy MacKinnon (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. p. 82

USDA Plants Database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil’s_club

Willis, Lyrae (2021).  Plant Families of North America.  Not yet published.

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