Aralia spinosa is occasionally cultivated for its exotic or tropical appearance because of its large lacy compound leaves.

Aralia spinosa is an aromatic, spiny deciduous shrub or small tree growing 2–8 m (7–26 ft) tall.

The plants generally grow in clusters of branchless trunks, although stout wide-spreading branches are occasionally produced.

In the autumn the leaves turn to a peculiar bronze red (touched with yellow) that makes the tree conspicuous and attractive.

They bear a crowded cluster of double or triple compound leaves in their canopies, thus giving each stem a certain tropical palm-like appearance.

Further north, however, the slender, swaying palm-like appearance is most characteristic of younger plants that have not been damaged by winter storms.

The Iroquois would take the saplings of the tree and plant them near their villages and on islands so that animals wouldn't eat the valuable fruit.

Aralia spinosa was introduced into cultivation in 1688 and is still grown for its decorative foliage, prickly stems, large showy flower panicles (clusters) and distinctive fall color.

These plants are slow growing, tough and durable, do well in urban settings, but bear numerous prickles on their stems, petioles, and leaflets.

In a laboratory study, extracts from the plant showed antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria associated with wound infections.