Scientific Name:
Aralia elata
Pronunciation:
uh-RAY-lee-uh ih-LAY-tuh
Common Name:
Japanese angelica tree
Family Name:
Araliaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves bipinnately compound, large (about 90cm long), odd-pinnate, pinnae broadly ovate to elliptic, up to 7cm wide x 10cm long; bark with 5mm long randomly arranged thorn-like prickles. Winter ID: twigs 6-8mm wide; spines 2-3mm long, leaf scars wrapped more than half way around with >12 bundle scars in a half circle row, buds 1-2mm long.
Habit:
Spreading, Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
7 - 10m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade, Sheltered
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Specimen plant, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Prickly
Surfaces:
Compound Leaf:
Bipinnate
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Orange, Purple
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Caudate
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Serrulate
Bark Morphology:
Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Dark Grey
Additional Info:
Prickles
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid (Distinctive smell)
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Prickles, Stipule, pointy spines
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Bacterial leaf spot, Mites (Deer resistant)