The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Hercules-club
common name for several small, thorny trees, chiefly the devils-walking-stick of the family Aralaceae (ginseng family) and the prickly ash of the family Rutaceae (orange family). The families are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, orders Apiales and Sapindales, respectively.