Aralia elata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ah-RAY-lee-ah el-AH-tuh
- Description
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Japanese Angelia Tree is a deciduous multistemmed large shrub or small tree in the Araliaceae family. This plant can be found in the wild, in eastern Asia, where it usually grows much larger, up to 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide, than is usually observed in home gardens where it more typically grows up to 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Although this plant is drought tolerant and does not mind a range of soil types, it prefers moist, well-drained soil.
It can spread by suckers and self-seeding, resulting in thickets.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It is a rapidly growing weedy plant that can outgrow and outcompete native plants.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- 'Aureovariegata', 'Variegata'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- 'Aureovariegata', 'Variegata'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Aralia
- Species:
- elata
- Family:
- Araliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern Asia
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- moist soil; a range of soil types
- Dimensions:
- Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Multi-stemmed
- Multi-trunked
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Spines
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Purple/Lavender
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Description:
- Purple to black fruits appear in summer and ripen into fall.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- This plant has 12 to 18 in. white to cream panicles of flowers that are not as tall as they are wide. Blooms from late July to August.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Other/more complex
- Leaf Shape:
- Pinnatisect
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- This plant has 2-4 foot long tripinnately compound leaves with up to 80 leaflets. 3" to 5.5" in. leaflets with toothed to smooth margins and prominent center veins that go all the way to the tip of the left. There are spines in the leaf axis. Leaves turn yellow to reddish-purple for their fall color.
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Bark:
- Bark Description:
- The bark has sharp thorns.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- There are large spines on stems.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Small Tree
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Pollution
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns
- Weedy
