This spiny, stout plant has been given all sorts of monikers, from “Devil’s walking stick” to “Hercules’-club.” Its sprays of tiny white flowers give rise to rounded clusters of purplish-black fruit. Although its spiny branches and dense, compound foliage may deter botanists from scrambling through them, these shrubs/small trees provide valuable cover for wildlife and birds. Its roots, though poisonous, have been used by Cherokee, Chocktaw, and Rappahannock tribes to treat a variety of ailments from rheumatism to boils.