In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley writes:
|
| From Wikipedia "Kalopanax septemlobus, common name Kalopanax or Prickly
| Castor-oil Tree, is a deciduous tree in the family Araliaceae, the sole
| species in the genus Kalopanax. It is native to northeastern Asia, from
| Sakhalin and Japan west to southwestern China."

That reminded me, and the one I was thinking of is Aralia spinosa.
I don't think that either are right, because I think that both have
straight thorns, but my betting would be on one of the Araliaceae.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Checking IPNI for araliads with americana/us/um as the epithet gives
Panax americanus (=Panax quinquefolia), which is herbaceous, Reynoldsia
americana, which is tropical, and Ricinophyllum americanus (=Oplopanax
horridus) which is viciously spined, but perhaps not with the right type
of spines.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley