Eleutherococcus sieboldianus (five-fingered aralia, "Himeukogi")

Japanese name: ヒメウコギ （姫五加木）
Scientific name: Eleutherococcus sieboldianus

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1.5–2 m tall.
It is hairless throughout.
The branches are of two kinds, long shoots and short shoots; sharp spines 0.4–0.7 cm long grow at the base of the short shoots, and the trunk also has short spines.
The leaves are alternate on long shoots and fascicled on short shoots, palmately compound, usually with 5 leaflets.
The leaflets are narrowly obovate to obovate-lanceolate with a rhombic tinge, with fairly sharp, even teeth, and the base tapers gradually into the leaflet stalk.
Both surfaces of the leaves are glossy, and there is no webbed membrane in the vein axils on the underside.
The terminal leaflet is 2–7 cm long and 1–2 cm wide.
The petiole is 2–11 cm long.
The plant is dioecious, and most of those seen in Japan are female.
Inflorescence stalks 4–6 cm long extend from the tips of the short shoots, bearing umbels with many flowers.
The flowers are yellowish green with 5 petals, and the style is 5-lobed.
Fruiting is rare, but the fruit is spherical, 0.6–0.7 cm in diameter with 5 ridges, ripens black, and contains 5 seeds.

[History]
It came from China long ago, and plants that were cultivated have sometimes become wild.

[Uses]
The young leaves are used as wild vegetables (sansai), and the root bark is used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or division, or from seed if the plant has fruited.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site and tolerates bright shade.
It is hardy and grows well even if left alone when conditions suit it.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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