Manchurian Angelica Tree (Aralia mandschurica)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −34.4 °C
Cultivation
Prefers a good deep loam and a position in semi-shade. Requires a sheltered position. Plants are hardier when grown on poorer soils. 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[K]. This plant is very closely related to A. elata and is included in that species by many botanists.
Propagation
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. Division of suckers in late winter. Very easy, the suckers can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required.
Edible uses
Young shoots - cooked. They can also be blanched and used in salads.
Medicinal uses
Anodyne, carminative. The root, and especially the bark, stimulates the central nervous system. The plant is said to restore the appetite, memory, vigour etc.
Habitat
Forests on rich well moistened slopes, 900 - 2000 metres in N. Hupeh. Thickets and thin woods in lowland and hills in Japan.
Native range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.