Aralia elata seed

LATIN NAME: Aralia elata

COMMON NAME: Japanese Angelica Tree

The Japanese angelica tree is the bold, spiny one of the border, throwing up the great, ferny leaves and the big heads of the white flowers. The tall, upright, deciduous shrub or small tree carries the very large, doubly compound, ferny leaves on the stout, spiny stems and the big, rounded heads of the small, white flowers in the late summer, to be followed by the clusters of the small, black fruits. The plant is a fine, bold presence of the large border and the wild garden, and the young shoots have a long record as a spring vegetable of the old practice. It is a plant of the open, sunny to partly shaded, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Japanese angelica tree is a bold subject of the plant science, and the great, compound leaves and the spiny stems keep it a regular figure in the work on the aralia group. The chemistry of the roots and the young shoots, which have a long record in the old practice of the East, has been studied closely, and it keeps showing up in the studies of the aralias, the tonic roots and the members of the ginseng family. The big heads of the white flowers and the tall, upright habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the Japanese angelica tree is a regular subject of the studies of the spiny border trees of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The Japanese angelica tree is a bold, generous plant of the large border. The great, ferny leaves open through the spring, and the big, rounded heads of the small, white flowers come in the late summer, one of the fine sights of the wild garden, drawing the bees and the hoverflies. The young shoots have a long record as a spring vegetable of the old practice of the East, picked before the spines harden. It has been written about in the horticultural and the botanical papers for the great leaves and the late white heads, and it is a fine, bold plant of the open, sunny to partly shaded, well-drained garden.

The Japanese angelica tree is one of the bold, spiny plants of the large border, and the big, rounded heads of the white flowers come in the late summer. The young shoots have a long record as a spring vegetable of the old practice.

To grow the Japanese angelica tree from seed, sow the small, flat seeds in pots of moist, free-draining soil, then keep them in the shade, and set the young plants out in the cool, rich ground. The seedlings come through within a few weeks and grow on fast. With the sun or the light shade and the deep, well-drained ground, the great ferny leaves will rise through the spring.

Aralia elata
Chinese Aralia

Here are some seeds of the exotic Aralia elata, which is a very tropical looking large shrub or small tree. This plant is considered fully hardy to USDA zone 4. These plants prefer full sun or partial shade. Chinese Aralia is particularly exotic because the leaves are very complex and HUGE! Each leaf looks like many smaller leaves, but it is just one large compound leaf. Then in summer these plants get large clusters of many small white flowers, which makes quite a showy display. These plants can reach heights of 25+ feet tall, but can be maintained smaller if necessary.