Devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus synonym Echinopanax horridum) is a plant native to the stream side forests of North America. It’s a plant for thrill-seekers, covered in tiny spines that cause some people to break out in an itchy rash. Its large, beautiful leaves and red berries make it an interesting addition to a wetland garden. Devil’s club is also used and respected as a medicinal plant with antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Use it around the pond or in a wetland garden to make a dramatic visual statement.
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Oplopanax horridus loves to grow in moist wetland or stream side environments, and its range extends into Alberta and Montana. It is also found in parts of Ontario, Canada. Find it reaching for the sunlight along a patch of wet ground next to a creek. In the garden, plant it in damp areas around a natural pond or a rain garden. When planted towards the back of a wetland plant display, its large, maple-shaped leaves stand tall over smaller wetland plants, and the spines are less apt to touch a visitor’s arm. This plant grows vigorously in its ideal conditions, and some consider it a weed.
A wetland plant with the last name ‚”horridus” doesn’t sound all that friendly. Yet Devil’s club is finding an audience. Landscapers love it for its huge leaves that can be more than a foot wide. Devil’s club has a long, spiked stem known as the devil’s walking stick, and its lovely white flowers turn into a spike of gorgeous red berries. It is a stunning plant.
Those trying to deter animals or people from entering an area of a park or garden like it for its sharp, itchy thorns. Interestingly, Devil’s Club is also being considered as a herbal treatment for Type Two diabetes and tuberculosis.
Devil’s Club is related to ginseng and has been harvested as a mental stimulant, sometimes endangering local populations. The Native Americans of the United States and First Nations people of Canada have used this plant as a natural remedy for diseases. The Kwakiutl of British Columbia, Canada drank an extract of the bark to cure tuberculosis.
Currently, researchers are very interested in the plant’s anti-tubercular and anti-diabetes properties. The root of Devil’s club has also been shown to lower blood sugar in some people, acting as a potential natural remedy for type two diabetes. The berries of Devil’s Club are poisonous, but have been used to treat lice when crushed.
Want to grow this dangerous and healing beauty in the wetland garden? Devil’s club is challenging to grow from seed. The seeds may take up to two years to germinate, making growing this plant a challenge only for those with a lot of time to wait! The plant will propagate through root cuttings taken in the dormant season, making this a much more logical and timely way to grow this lovely wetland plant.
Another practical solution is to source a plant seedling from a native plant nursery in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Devil’s Club transplants well, so once it makes it to the stream, pond, or wetland garden, it will likely survive – and thrive!
For wetland gardeners who are looking for an eclectic new plant for the pond side garden, Devil’s Club is a beautiful addition, a dramatic backdrop to a pond or water feature. While some love it for its medicinal properties, it is also a plant for those who enjoy living on the edge. With its spines and its amazing medicinal qualities, this is truly a plant at the forefront of science and landscaping.
Senkowsky, Sonya. 2003. Wonder Weed: Can Devil’s Club Beat TB, Other Ills? National Geographic Today.
Shock, Lisa. Devil’s Club. Native Plant Society of Idaho.
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