Wild sarsaparilla's scientific name, Aralia nudicaulis, means simply "bare stem." It is a native of
northern North America.
Okay, so you're a plant, and you've decided that you're going to eke out an existence on the bottom of forest floors. All those trees overhead have leaves everywhere, so there's something to catch light regardless of the angle of the sun, and with every passing breeze. There isn't much left for you, a few dappled rays. You need a more frugal strategy. So you make only a few leaves, and spread them out in a single plane, facing straight up, with almost no overlap. Now every leaf collects as much sunlight as possible. And you even put your flowers under the leaves so they don't get in the way. That's sarsaparilla.
Identification: Plants are 1-2′ (30-60 cm) high. The leaves are all lined up
in a flat plane, on bare hairless stems.
Tiny white or pale green flowers form spherical clusters about 1½″ (3.8 cm)
around, underneath the leaves. They resemble wild leek flowers, but lack the leeks' odor
of onions. The flower clusters become similarly shaped berry
clusters, with dark blue berries.
Wild sarsaparilla is sometimes confused with "real" sarsaparilla, even though the plants bear no resemblance
to each other and do not overlap in range. Here are some other possible sources of confusion:
Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Short plants often found in North American forests, with bare stems topped with leaves in a flat plane,
and flowers nestled underneath the leaves.
A close relative, but larger and with stems that are covered with bristly hairs; stems of A. nudicaulis are
smooth.
Sarsaparilla(Smilax officinalis and other species)
A vine native to Jamaica, reaching up to 50′ (15 m) in length, with long underground roots that
have been used in some soft drinks and for various ailments.
An unrelated but highly toxic plant that is vaguely similar in appearance
to wild sarsaparilla and has leaves in groups of three.
Australian
sarsaparilla tree (Alphitonia petriei)
A fast-growing evergreen tree with bark and leaves that smell like liniment when rubbed.
Edibility: "Sarsaparilla" is Spanish for "little grape vine"—a name
well-suited to real sarsaparilla, but not to wild sarsaparilla. I couldn't verify this, but it looks as if roots
of wild sarsaparilla were sometimes used as a flavoring agent in place of the real variety, leading to the
name confusion. I couldn't find good information on wild sarsaparilla's toxicity.
9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) ID is uncertain
5/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)
The berries are sarsaparilla. Foliage is bunchberry. · 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm)
Berries will become black when ripe. (The leaves are false Solomon’s seal.) · 6/4/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm)
5/9/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)
5/2/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
5/30/2021 · Trail near fire tower, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm)
The berries are sarsaparilla. Foliage is bunchberry. · 7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm)
5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine
5/24/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm)
5/18/2016 · Worcester Road, Beaver Brook Con, Hollis, New Hampshire
5/11/2023 · White Trail, Knight’s Pond Preserve, Cumberland, Maine
5/7/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
5/20/2023 · Knight’s Pond Preserve, Cumberland, Maine
7/15/2012 · Fort Point State Park, Stockton Springs, Maine · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm)