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Five-fingered Aralia Eleutherococcus sieboldianus

Other Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Acanthopanax sieboldianus
Phonetic Spelling
el-ew-ther-oh-KOK-us see-bold-ee-AH-nus
Description

Five-fingered aralia, although a member of the aralia family is not in the genus Aralia.  is an erect, upright shrub with arching branches that flop over. Can be severely pruned; easy to transplant and adapts to poor growing conditions; tends to sucker.  Tolerates shearing well.  It root-suckers readily.  It tolerates full sun to shade; prefers well-drained soil but tolerates clay, sand, drought, and pollution.  Its thorns make it a good candidate for a screen or security planting or place it in a shrub border, foundation planting or the background of a planting bed.  

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Variegatus'
'Variegatus'
Tags:
#deciduous#drought tolerant#shrub#deciduous shrub#shade garden#low maintenance#security plant#air pollution tolerant#easy to transplant#foundation planting#border planting#screening#poor soils tolerant#urban conditions tolerant
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Variegatus'
'Variegatus'
Tags:
#deciduous#drought tolerant#shrub#deciduous shrub#shade garden#low maintenance#security plant#air pollution tolerant#easy to transplant#foundation planting#border planting#screening#poor soils tolerant#urban conditions tolerant
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Acanthopanax
    Species:
    sieboldianus
    Family:
    Araliaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Root Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    China (Anhui)
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Drought, poor soil, urban settings, pollution.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Arching
    Erect
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
    Appendage:
    Thorns
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
    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
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Available Space To Plant:
    6-feet-12 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Fruit Type:
    Berry
    Fruit Description:
    Modest production of small black fruit because plants are dioecious so need both male and female plants.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Green
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Insignificant
    Umbel
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Description:
    Small greenish-white flowers in umbel in late spring- early summer, May-June.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Colorful alternate, palmately compound leaves with 5 to 7 leaflets that resemble buckeye leaves; 1 to 2.5 in. long; bright green; non-showy fall color; mostly yellow
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Arching branches that flop over, thorns appear at stem nodes below each leaf.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Woodland
    Design Feature:
    Barrier
    Border
    Foundation Planting
    Hedge
    Screen/Privacy
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Dry Soil
    Pollution
    Urban Conditions
    Problems:
    Spines/Thorns