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Aralia elata
There are tiny spines along the stems and between each pair of leaves. The shoots are edible. This plant is an invasive species in the Northeastern US.
Mixed woods.
Spotted on Oct 16, 2012
Submitted on Nov 8, 2012
5 Comments
Oh, alright. I'll change the ID. I trust your opinion more than my own!
here is picture of elata that looks very similar: http://natlands.typepad.com/nlt_preserve...
It is hard for me to tell from the picture, but it looks more like A. elata. On spinosa leaves, the veins of the leaflets do not run to the teeth; on elata, they do. Spinosa leaflets have a definite petiole, elata leaflets are sessile or nearly so.
For me it's very hard to tell the difference between the two. I'll go with A. spinosa based on the photos I've looked up.
Thank you, Travis!
This looks like an Aralia. Try Japanese angelica-tree (Aralia elata) or our native prickly-ash (Aralia spinosa).