Interesting tropical-looking small tree native from central New York through western Pennsylvania and some spots around southeast Pennsylvania, areas of Maryland, West Virginia & Virginia down to central Florida to east Texas back up to southern Illinois & Indiana. Offered only by a few large, diverse nurseries and some native plant nurseries; rare in landscapes. Fast growing of over 2 feet/year and each tree lives about 50 years, but it forms a colony and more come up from the root system to replace each tree. Despite coarse, lateral spreading root system, it transplants easily. Usually grows in and around forest, but can grow in meadows. Grows best in moist to dry, slightly acid soils but can adapt to neutral pH. The black fruit in late summer and early autumn is prized by many birds and small mammals. The white flowers are pollinated by many insects. It is different from the Japanese species that was introduced and gone wild in some spots, as southeast PA, in that the American species bears its flower clusters terminally while the Asian species bears them laterally.

Reply to this comment

I got this as a volunteer. It has grown easily to a large shrub. It does sucker readily, and for that reason I cut down the original and moved a sucker, where that has grown in light shade. Pollinators adore this and make the whole thing buzz when in bloom with all sizes of insect.
There is some presence in US of escaped Aralia from Asia. The spinosa leaves have distinct 'petiolules' where as leaflets of the asian one come directly off the "stem" -(sorry terminology is not my strong suit.) See for information https://www.illinoiswildflower...

Reply to this comment