American Spikenard

Aralia racemosa

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: Aralia drupes are consumed by at least 6 bird species including Wood Thrush (60% diet occurrence), Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush (90% occurrence), Swainson's Thrush (50%), Pine Grosbeak (51%), Hermit Thrush (20%), and Eastern Bluebird (12%). Fruits ripen to purple-black in late summer and persist into fall, providing critical fuel for southbound migrants, especially thrushes.
S57+S61

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) with national ranks of N5 in both Canada and the United States. Ranked S5 in Ontario and S4 in Quebec. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Uncommon in the Ottawa flora per Brunton (2005). The slightly lower Quebec rank may reflect fewer documented occurrences in the province relative to Ontario.
S22+S26+S62
Rarity Ranks: QC S4 – Apparently Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: American spikenard occupies the herb-shrub layer of rich mesic deciduous forests, particularly beech-maple and hemlock-hardwood communities. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it occurs on moist slopes, ravines, and forest edges, often below bluffs or along seepy areas. Michigan Flora records associate it with Acer-Fagus-Tilia woods and cedar swamps. One Gatineau Park specimen was collected in a beech forest (hetraie). It is uncommon in Ottawa and apparently secure (S4) in Quebec.
S7+S62+S48+S22

Roles: Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: PFAF lists spikenard as a Food Forest plant suited to the Woodland Garden in sunny edge, dappled shade, and shady edge positions. Its dense foliage provides cover for wildlife and its abundant fruits feed birds. It thrives alongside typical mesic forest species. No specific companion pairings are documented in PFAF or Hemenway.
S29

Category: Alterative, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Analgesic, Dermatological Aid, Stimulant, Pulmonary Aid, Gynecological Aid, Orthopedic Aid, Anthelmintic
S28+S29
Notes: Extensively used by Indigenous peoples across eastern North America. Moerman documents 54 Drug/Medicine uses spanning Cherokee, Chippewa, Choctaw, Iroquois, and Algonquin nations. The aromatic root is the primary medicinal part, used as an alterative, diaphoretic, and expectorant for pulmonary diseases, asthma, and rheumatism. Externally, root poultices treat burns, boils, swellings, and skin conditions including eczema. Algonquin of Quebec used root infusions for tuberculosis and diabetes. Health Canada lists it as an approved herbal ingredient (NHPID).
S28+S29+S36

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: PFAF rates edibility 3/5. Several parts are technically edible: young shoot tips cooked as potherbs, roots boiled for soups with a liquorice-like flavour and used as a sarsaparilla substitute in root beer, and purple-black drupes eaten raw or made into jelly. However, roots and shoots have acrid saponins requiring cooking, and overall the plant is far better known medicinally than as food. Moerman records no Food-category uses, only Drug and Medicine categories.
S29+S28