Prickly Ash is a thorny native shrub of dry, rocky forest edges and ravines whose aromatic, numbing berries were used by indigenous peoples for toothaches—earning it the nickname 'toothache tree.' It is an important larval host plant for the giant swallowtail butterfly in the northern parts of its range. The berries are consumed by many songbirds.
Habitat
Rocky dry forest edges, slopes, and ravines across eastern and central North America
Diet
Larval host for giant swallowtail butterfly; berries eaten by many songbirds
How common
Common
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