Prunus spinosa the more shrubby habit with stiffer, wider-angled branches of "P. spinosa"; in summer by the relatively narrower leaves of "P. spinosa", more than twice as long as broad; and in autumn by the colour of the fruit skin purplish black in "P. spinosa" and yellow or red in "P. cerasifera". "Prunus spinosa" has a tetraploid (2"n"=4"x"=32) set of chromosomes. The specific name "" is a Latin term indicating the pointed and thornlike spur shoots characteristic of this species. The common name "" is due to the thorny nature of the shrub, and its very dark bark. The word commonly used
Aralia spinosa fruit. The fruit was used in many of the natives' foods. The women would take the flowers and put them in their hair because of the lemony smell. The flowers could also be traded for money. In the past, botanists attributed occurrences of "Aralia" north of Maryland and Delaware in the Middle Atlantic states to introductions of "Aralia spinosa" from areas to the south. However some of these occurrences are now known to be of "Aralia elata" (Japanese Angelica-tree), a related Asian species that is invasive in the area. "A. spinosa" and "A. elata" are difficult to distinguish in the