Aralia elata
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| Aralia elata Seem. |
Aralia elata is an upright deciduous small tree or shrub up to 6 m in height, native to eastern Russia, China, Korea, and Japan. It is known as tara-no-ki in Japanese, and also as Japanese Angelica-tree. It prefers deep loamy soils in partial shade, but will grow in poorer soils and in full sun. The plant is sometimes cultivated, often in a variegated form, for its exotic appearance.
The bark is rough and gray with prickles. The leaves are alternate, large, 60-120 cm long, and double pinnate. The flowers are produced in large umbels in late summer, each flower small and white. The fruit is a small black drupe.
Aralia elata is closely related to the American species Aralia spinosa, with which it is easily confused.
In Japan, the shoots are eaten in the spring. They are picked from the end of the branches and are fried in a tempura batter.
External links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Aralia elata". Image Credit.
