Japanese Angelica Tree, Angelica Tree
Aralia elata

Family: Araliaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.

Aralia elata is a deciduous Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Thin woodland and thickets on rich well moistened slopes, 900 - 2000 metres in N. Hupeh.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Canada, China, Japan* native, Korea, North America, Russia, Siberia, USA. UK (RHS).

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Young shoots - cooked. They can also be blanched and used in salads. The young shoots of Aralia elata are a popular wild food in Japan where the tree is known as Taranoki and the shoots as Taranome. In Korea the shoots are called dureup.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The roots and stems are anodyne and carminative. All parts of the plant are used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthralgia, coughs, diabetes, jaundice, stomach ulcers and stomach cancers.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Other

Rating: 2

Landscape Uses: Specimen. Special Features: Not North American native, Blooms are very showy. attracts wildlife. Nectary - Shelter.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Prefers a good deep loam and a position in semi-shade but it also succeeds in a sunny position. Requires a sheltered position. Plants are hardier when grown on poorer soils. Prefers an acid soil. Dormant plants are hardy to at least -15°c. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun. A very ornamental species, there are a number of named varieties. It is usually a single stemmed shrub, spreading by means of suckers. This species is closely allied to A. chinensis. In Japan Aralia elata is a pioneering plant that often grows where forests have been cleared. In open sunny areas with adequate soil moisture it grows rapidly. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A clumping plant, forming a colony from shoots away from the crown but with a limited spread. The root pattern is suckering with new plants from underground runners away from the plant.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 - 5 months of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 4 months at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Once the plants are 25cm or more tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions, late spring or early summer being the best time to do this. Root cuttings 8cm long, December in a cold frame. Store the roots upside down in sand and pot up in March/April. High percentage. Division of suckers in late winter. Very easy, the suckers can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 4-9

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Japanese angelica-tree, Japanese aralia, Dureumnamu, Dureupnamu, Turup, Turupnamu.

Synonyms

Dimorphanthus elatus.