Question: There are at least a hundred of these stems shady part of yard, in partial shade. The blooms showing are …
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Question
There are at least a hundred of these stems shady part of yard, in partial shade. The blooms showing are from early June. There are no fruits or seeds visible in mid-July. I believe I saw this at Garden in the Woods, but it wasn't labeled. The height is about 1 foot and is interspersed with Virginia creeper and growing under white pines.
Answer
Dear bkatzenberg, you have photographed Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla), a native member of the celery family. This plant is adapted to living on the forest floor and produces a level array of leaflets to gather sun (i.e., the leaves aren't at different levels shading themselves). It is a shrub, but the woody portion of the plant is at or below the ground level. Note that the flowers are produced on a separate, leafless stem.
