VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Oplopanax horridus | Devil's Club 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Devil's club is not preferred by browsing animals, probably because of
its prickly leaves and stems.  Black-tailed deer, white-tailed deer, and
elk utilize it lightly in spring and summer [29,45]; in one study, it
comprised an average of 3.4 percent of the summer diet of Roosevelt elk
at widely distributed sites on the Pacific Northwest Coast [32].  Moose
on Isle Royale, Michigan do not browse it [46].

Devil's club growing on banks of stream channels provides shade cover
for salmonoid fishes and their eggs.  Bear prefer such areas because of
the readily available sources of fish and devil's club berries [14].
Grizzly and black bear also consume devil's club seeds, leaves, and
stems [4,26,33,37].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Mean value of in-vitro dry-matter digestibility of devil's club for
white-tailed deer is 73.3 percent for leaves and 53.7 percent for stems.
Percentage composition of macro- and micronutrients in devil's club
leaves and stems are available [29].


COVER VALUE : 
Devil's club provides hiding, escape, and thermal cover for various
birds, rodents, and the vagrant shrew [31].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Devil's club is planted as an ornamental [34,45].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Species: Oplopanax horridus | Devil's Club