Devil’s Walking Stick
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The roots and fruit of the Devil’s walking stick were used by the early settlers as a home remedy to improve blood circulation. Today we know that eating any part of the tree may be hazardous to your health! It usually grows as a straight, branchless trunk with a broad crown of leaves like a palm.
Images
Illustration of a Devil's Walking Stick, by local artist Ann Bittick

Devil's Walking Stick
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Devil's Walking Stick
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Devil’s Walking Stick is also known as an Angelica tree, but is also sometimes mistakenly called a prickly ash or Hercules club, although the Devil's Walking Stick is a distinctly different species with smaller leaves and without the distinctive bumps on the trunk. It typically grows as a set of vertical branchless trunks with broad leaves, often resembling a umbrella, and while not usually tall can grow twice as high in southern climates than in northern ones. The trunk of a Devil's Walking Stick, covered in leaf scars and broken ridges, turns from light to dark brown over time.
Cite This Entry
Williams, Josh and josh.s.smith on behalf of Historic Washington State Park. "Devil’s Walking Stick." Clio: Your Guide to History. April 19, 2024. Accessed March 15, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/148586/tour/3
Sources
Branches in Time: Notable and Historic Trees of Old Washington Historic State Park. Little Rock, AR. Arkansas State Parks, 2001.
Historic Washington State Park
Historic Washington State Park
Historic Washington State Park