| Author | P. Mill. | |
| Distribution | Collected from 3 counties in the southern mountains -- Buncombe, Jackson, and Transylvania -- all, oddly enough, by 3 people in July 1953! This seems a bit suspicious, especially as all collections are at a single herbarium at Western Carolina University. Additionally, the species was not included in NC by RAB (1968), Weakley (2020), or other floras (including the NCNHP). Nonetheless, the locations of these might possibly be natural.
Ranges across southeastern Canada and the northeastern and north-central U.S., south mainly to VA, KY, MO, and OK. Scattered records in all eastern states but MS. | |
| Abundance | Seemingly always very rare, and now historical -- all collections in SERNEC were made in 1953. The website editors suggest a rank of SE?. The editors also suggest it be at least on the Watch List as W4 [rare and possibly or perhaps not native]. | |
| Habitat | The NC specimens were collected from "above Lake Toxaway" (Transylvania County), roadsides (Buncombe and Jackson counties), and "at Biltmore" in Buncombe County. This species requires high pH soil, generally in rocky situations. Favors dry to mesic forests in rocky places, generally over limestone, less so over other calcareous or mafic rocks. | |
| Phenology | Flowers before leaves emerge in March-April, and fruits in July-August. | |
| Identification | This is a deciduous shrub growing to 6-9 feet tall (occasionally to 20 feet), and often as wide or wider. Strong and wide thorns are present along the stem/branches. It has alternate compound leaves, with 7-13 leaflets (several pairs with one at the apex); the rachis has small thorns as well. Each leaflet is elliptic to lanceolate, sessile, with a pointed tip. It has small flowers in leaf axils, in clusters, in early spring; in late summer, there are numerous reddish follicles, with shiny blackish seeds. It should be difficult to mis-identify this very rare shrub in NC, owing to its thorny look and often 9 elliptical (and pointed) leaflets, especially with thin spines along the leaf blade. The biggest issue is judging natural-ness of sites of occurrence, as there is no guarantee this species deserves a place on the NC list of native species. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Northern Prickly-ash, Toothache-tree (used also for a few other species) | |
| State Rank | [SE?] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | [W4] | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FAC link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
