Appearance

Appearance

The simple leaves can reach about 14 in (36 cm) across and usually have five to seven lobes. Young trees carry strong spines that often become less noticeable on older trunks and branches.

Growth form

In cultivation it commonly grows 40–60 ft (12–18 m) tall and about as wide.

Flowering time

In North Carolina gardens, clusters of tiny white flowers appear in July and August.

Fruit

Small black fruits form in branching clusters, and birds eat them.

Look-alikes

Japanese angelica treeAralia elata

Castor-Aralia has one broad, deeply lobed leaf blade. Japanese angelica tree has very large compound leaves made of many separate leaflets.

Why they get mixed up · Both are spiny East Asian members of the aralia family.

Images coming soon

Castor beanRicinus communis

Both have large, lobed leaves. Castor-Aralia develops a woody trunk with strong spines when young and small black fruits. Castor bean has spiny seed capsules and is usually grown as an annual in colder U.S. climates.

Why they get mixed up · The large hand-shaped leaves look alike.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• moist woodland
• large gardens

Range

It is native from the Russian Far East through China, Korea, and Japan. It has been introduced in several eastern U.S. states, including New York and Pennsylvania. At one Massachusetts planting, it has spread into surrounding areas, and seedlings are removed.

Preferred conditions

It prefers deep, moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter and grows in full sun to light shade. It struggles with the hot, humid summers of the Deep South.

Flowering

Flowers Jul–Aug

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Flowers

Flowers Jul–Aug

Growing it

Propagation

It can be propagated from seed or stem cuttings.

Connected species

Seed dispersers

• birdsAves

  Birds eat the fruits and carry their seeds; the tree has spread beyond plantings at the Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts.

Name and classification

About the name

Kalopanax pictus is an older name for this tree.

Varieties and forms

Leaf lobes can be shallow or cut far toward the center. These shapes blend into one another within the species. The Ryukyu group is treated as a separate subspecies.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• It is sometimes planted in the United States as a large shade or specimen tree.