Eleutherococcus spiny - Eleutherococcus senticosus Synonyms. Svobodnoyagodnik prickly, wild pepper, devil's bush, Siberian ginseng, hedgehog tree. Origin of the name. Eleutherococcus from the Greek "eleutheros" - "free" and "kokkos" - "nut". The species name "senticosus" means "covered with thorns". It has many different names, the most common of which is svobodnoyagodnik prickly. In the people it is also called prickly or wild pepper, devil's bush, netronnik, ginseng brother. Description of the plant. Shrub with a height of 2-2. 5 to 4-5 m with numerous (more than 25) stems. The young shoots, unlike the old ones, have long, thin spines that slope downwards. The spikes bend at the ends, which is why they cling and are difficult to remove from the skin. But it is these young shoots that easily distinguish this plant from other shrubs. The thorns fall off over time, making the old branches absolutely smooth and not dangerous. A strongly branched cylindrical rhizome with a large number of adventitious roots is located in the upper layers of the soil (the length of the root system reaches 30 m). The leaves are palmately complex, they are placed on petioles 15 cm long, have an unusual shape and color. They look vaguely like fingers. Elliptical shape with a wedge-shaped base and biconvex edges. Above, the leaves are glabrous or with bristles, below along the veins with reddish pubescence. The middle three leaves are larger than the two outermost ones. The flowers are small, arranged on thin long pedicels, collected in umbrella-shaped spherical inflorescences at the ends of the branches with a peculiar, persistent and strong aroma. The flowers are bisexual, staminate (male) - pale purple, and pistillate (female)-yellowish. Blooms in July-August Description of the fruit. The fruits are spherical, shiny, black drupes 7-10 mm in diameter, with five bones, they are formed only on the uppermost umbrella. The ripe flesh is juicy, yellowish-green, with a pleasant aroma and a sharp taste (which is why it is called "wild pepper"). Eleutherococcus plentifully bears fruit once in 2 years, but the fruits hang on the bushes for a long time, until the first snow. The seeds are crescent-shaped, yellowish, 3.5-8.5 mm long with a finely meshed surface. It bears fruit in September-October.