Aralia racemosa, with common names American spikenard, small spikenard, Indian root, spice berry, spignet, life-of-man, petty morel, is an ornamental plant in the family Araliaceae native to the United States and Canada. It is a herbaceous plant, about tall, which grows in shady areas. Its native range includes most of the eastern United States.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Aralia racemosa across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
🍽 Used in cooking
Compound class profile1 class
Kaurane and Phyllocladane diterpenoids1
Documented compounds1 total
Compound
Class
Amount
Source
(-)-Kaur-16-en-19-oic acid
present
LOTUS
05DNA & barcoding31 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Aralia racemosa has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens31
Marker genes8
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections13
Countries2
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manualAralia racemosa carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size674 820 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
THIS GENOME Aralia racemosa0.67 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
DNA clock origin9.42 Ma TimeTree
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
DNA clock origin
How it livedPBDB
Dietphotoautotroph
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type9 578 records
Wild obs. + sensor7 810
Museum / vouchered1 743
Cultivated / captive23
Fossil2
Origin
Introduced21
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO23 952 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy82% within 1 km
≤100 m 4 432≤1 km 836≤10 km 462>10 km 706
6 436 georeferenced · 1 374 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor7 810
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy36% within 1 km
≤100 m 67≤1 km 356≤10 km 689>10 km 75
1 187 georeferenced · 556 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence1 743
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy10% within 1 km
≤1 km 2≤10 km 18
20 georeferenced · 3 without coordinates
Open the mapnot free-living23
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions77 of 114 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Philadelphia, US
261
Madison, US
234
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
198
Québec, CA
74
Bloomington, US
61
Ann Arbor, US
59
University of New Hampshirelocation not on record
57
Toronto, CA
54
New Haven, US
42
Allentown, US
40
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
36
Wuzhou, CN
33
Bronx, US
33
Acadia Universitylocation not on record
32
Saint John, CA
26
Museo civico La Terra e l'Uomo di Crocetta del Montellolocation not on record
25
Saint Louis, US
25
Bangkok, TH
25
Green Bay, US
18
Chapel Hill, US
17
Université Lavallocation not on record
17
Albuquerque, US
16
Williamsburg, US
12
Staten Island, US
11
University of Wisconsinlocation not on record
11
Appalachian State Universitylocation not on record
11
St. Paul, US
10
Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record
9
Davenport, US
8
Millersville, US
8
Phoenix, US
8
Flagstaff, US
7
Knoxville, US
6
Hudson, US
6
Olocation not on record
6
Xiamen, CN
6
Austin, US
6
Beijing, CN
5
Smithsonian Institutionlocation not on record
5
Mount Pleasant, US
5
Cincinnati, US
5
Philadelphia, US
5
Jackson, US
5
USFSlocation not on record
5
Western Carolina Universitylocation not on record
5
ASUlocation not on record
5
US
5
University of Southern Mississippilocation not on record
4
Durham, US
4
Dekalb, US
4
Museum of the Rockieslocation not on record
4
Columbia, US
4
Richmond, US
4
University of Guelph, OAC Herbariumlocation not on record
3
Baroda, IN
3
Montréal, CA
3
Johnson City, US
3
Science Museum of Minnesotalocation not on record
3
EL PASO, US
3
McWane Science Centerlocation not on record
3
University of Alberta Museumslocation not on record
3
Moscow State Universitylocation not on record
2
Whitewater, US
2
Cambridge, US
2
Helsinki, FI
2
San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record
2
Meguro Parasitological Museumlocation not on record
2
Miami, US
2
Provo, US
2
WINlocation not on record
2
San Angelo, US
2
Spearfish, US
2
Denver, US
2
Pittsburg, US
2
Dover, US
1
Trondheim, NO
1
Turku, FI
1
Asheville, US
1
Long Beach, US
1
Riverside, US
1
Chadron, US
1
Fairfax, US
1
San Luis Obispo, US
1
Little Rock, US
1
Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahualocation not on record
1
Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record
1
San Jose, US
1
DOI/NPS, Greenbelt Parklocation not on record
1
Montréal, CA
1
Northridge, US
1
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
1
Uppsala, SE
1
Moscow, US
1
Norfolk, US
1
China Agricultural Universitylocation not on record
1
Chicago, US
1
McGill University, Herbariumlocation not on record
1
Chapingo, MX
1
Jefferson City, US
1
MeiseBGlocation not on record
1
Lincoln, US
1
Mississippi State, US
1
DULlocation not on record
1
Fayetteville, US
1
Decorah, US
1
Due West, US
1
Paris, FR
1
LINUlocation not on record
1
The University of Arizonalocation not on record
1
Mohonk Preservelocation not on record
1
Mexico City, MX
1
Oskarshamn, SE
1
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record
1
GAlocation not on record
1
114 institutions · 1 672 of 1 743 vouchered records shown · 71 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA13 detections
Where the DNA of Aralia racemosa was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found13
Studies independent surveys1
Countries2
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 13 detections have coordinates
Open the map2 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median20.3 °C 7.30–22.4
Seasonal swing summer↔winter26.9 °C
Max temp (day)25.2 °C 12.1–27.7
Min temp (night)16.1 °C 3.20–17.7
Precipitation88.6 mm/mo 70.7–101
Air humidity58.1 % 56.4–59.9
Moisture balance-41.5 mm/mo -50.3–-8.60
Vapour deficit978 Pa 531–1,164
Wind speed3.00 m/s 2.30–3.90
Cloud cover44.7 % 32.5–49.1
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 10 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation6 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility9 578 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI13 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics31 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Tree of SexTree of Sex Consortiumgenome & karyotype↗
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗