A single basal leaf with a whorl of 3 compound leaves at the tip of the long, naked stem. Leaves are compound in groups of 3 to 7, each leaflet is 3 to 5 inches long and up to 2 inches across, generally oval or widest above the middle, with a sharply pointed tip and finely toothed edges that may be a little wavy. Leaflet bases are often asymmetrical. The leaves tower over the shorter flowering stem, hiding it from view. The leaf and flowering stem are hairless and arise from a long rhizome.
Fruit is a ¼-inch green berry that ripens to dark purple.Despite their similar name, (click here) wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) is not related to the true sarsaparilla at all. Unlike true sarsaparilla which belongs to the Greenbrier family, wild sarsaparilla belongs to the Ginseng family. Wild sarsaparilla is a perennial flowering plant that comes from northern and eastern North America. This plant can easily be found growing on creeping underground stems in the woods....
...Wild sarsaparilla has a sweet spicy taste and a nice aromatic fragrant. The leaves, fruits, and roots of this plant are edible, but the roots are by far the most commonly used one. They’re used as a substitute for sarsaparilla, to make root beer, to make syrup, as well as to flavor other foods and beverages. Native Americans also used to eat wild sarsaparilla roots as emergency food, especially during wartime. This is because these roots are a wonderful source of energy....
