Achlys (plant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Achlys (plant) |
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| Achlys triphylla (Mount Rainier National Park) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Berberidaceae |
| Genus: | Achlys DC. |
Achlys is a small group of flowering plants. They belong to the barberry family, just like plants called Berberis and Vancouveria. The name Achlys comes from an ancient Greek goddess.
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What Are the Different Types of Achlys?
Scientists usually agree there are two or three types, or species, of Achlys. Two of them, Achlys triphylla and Achlys californica, grow naturally in western North America. Another type of Achlys is found in Japan. Some experts think the Japanese one is just a subgroup of A. triphylla. Others, especially older studies, call it Achlys japonica.
These plants have cool common names like vanilla leaf, deer's foot, and sweet after death. These names come from the vanilla smell of their leaves when you crush them.
The Plant List, a big database of plant names, recognizes two main species:
- Achlys triphylla (Sm.) DC. – You can find this one in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northwest California.
- Achlys japonica Maxim. – This species grows in Japan.
What Does Achlys Look Like?
Achlys triphylla, also known as vanilla leaf in western North America, is a plant that stands upright. It grows from a creeping underground stem called a rhizome. Its leaves have long stalks and are divided into three parts, like the fingers on a hand.
The flowers are small and don't have colorful petals or sepals. Instead, they have long, white, showy stamens that form a single upright spike. The three parts of the leaf can help you identify the plant. If you bend back the middle leaflet, it looks like upside-down moose antlers! If you bend back the two side leaflets, it looks like a goose or deer foot. This is why it's sometimes called "deer's foot."
In the Pacific Northwest, Achlys triphylla is very common. You can find it in moist, shady forests west of the Cascade Mountains. It grows at low to middle elevations, from Vancouver Island and southern British Columbia down to northern California.
These plants grow far apart on their underground stems. However, they often connect to form large networks. This creates "carpets" of Achlys that cover the ground in the forest. Achlys likes moist soil. So, in higher areas, you'll often find them along stream banks or in shady ravines.
How Is Achlys Used?
When Achlys plants are dried properly, they smell strongly of vanilla. This makes them great for making a tent smell fresh! Native tribes in southern British Columbia also used Achlys as an insect repellent. They would hang bunches of dried leaves in doorways to keep flies and mosquitoes away.
Some naturalists still rub dried or even fresh Achlys leaves on their skin. They do this when hiking in places like the Olympic or Cascade Mountains during the summer mosquito season.
The Achlys plants found in Japan are very similar to those in western North America.
Images for kids
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Achlys triphylla has small, fleshy fruits that are concave.
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Achlys japonica flowers
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'Achlys triphylla at Standup Creek Trail 1369 Wenatchee National Forest
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Achlys japonica growing in Kitakami Mountains, Iwate prefacture, Japan
See also
In Spanish: Achlys para niños
