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Oplopanax horridus

Devil's Club

At a Glance: An erect to sprawling shrub with thick, spiny, crooked stems and very large leaves.

Height: Up to 10 feet (3 meters).
Growth Form: Shrub.
Stems: 1-4 cm thick, often entangled, and densely armed with large yellowish spines.
Leaves: Shaped like a maple leaf with 7-9 pointed lobes, toothed margins, and a spiny underside, up to 40 cm (16 in) across; base cordate; color: green.
Flowers: Arranged in pyramidal clusters to 20 cm long; primary color: greenish-white; flower size: 5-6 mm.
Flowering Period: May, June.
Fruits: Shiny, inedible, flattened, bright red berries in large, showy clusters with 3 seeds appear in late summer; size: 5-8 mm.


Photo © 2003, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status:	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
Found often in wet, but well-drained seepage sites.
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Insects: Leaves are eaten by slugs. Mammals: Berries are eaten by bears.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The charcoal from burned devils club sticks was mixed with grease (now vaseline) for use as facepaint by many of the tribes throughout its range. The Washington Klallam and Vancouver Island Nuu-chah-nulth made fish lures by peeling the sticks and cutting them into small pieces. Many other tribes used the sticks in various ways to hook or lure fish. The Cowlitz used pulverized dried bark as a perfume or baby talc.
Medicinal Uses: The Skagit boil the bark with princes pine and cascara bark and drink the mixture for tuberculosis or to reestablish menstruation after a woman has given birth. Many tribes rubbed berries in the scalp to cure lice and dandruff. Other tribes concocted cures for diseases like rheumatism, arthritis, colds, or measles. Many diabetics today drink tea made from the inner bark.
Toxicity: Spines contain a skin irritant; berries are inedible..

Landscape Uses: Devils club can provide an effective buffer to wetland habitats.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 112.
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 35.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 41.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 314.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 110.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 118.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 217.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 140.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 82.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 139.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.