Eleutherococcus spinosus var. spinosus ("Yamaukogi")

Japanese name: ヤマウコギ （山五加木）
Scientific name: Eleutherococcus spinosus var. spinosus

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 2–4 m tall, found in forests and at forest edges in lowlands, preferring slightly moist places.
Young branches are hairless.
There are two kinds of branches, long shoots and short shoots, and each node bears a thick, straight, sharp thorn 0.3–1.3 cm long.
The leaves are alternate on long shoots and clustered on short shoots; they are palmately compound, usually with 5 leaflets.
The leaflets are obovate to obovate-oblong, with a shortly pointed tip, coarse, blunt wavy teeth, and a base that gradually narrows into the leaflet stalk.
The leaves are hairless, and webbed membranes are attached in the vein axils on the underside.
The terminal leaflet is large, 3–7 cm long and 1.5–4 cm wide.
The leaf stalk is 3–10 cm long and hairless.
The plant is dioecious.
An inflorescence stalk 2–6 cm long extends from the tip of a short shoot and bears an umbel with many flowers.
Leaves cluster beneath the inflorescence.
The flowers are yellowish green with 5 petals, and the style is 2-lobed.
The fruit is an oblate sphere 0.5 cm in diameter, ripening black and containing 2 seeds.

[Uses]
The young leaves are used as a wild vegetable, and the root bark is used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by division.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site and tolerates bright shade.
It is hardy and grows well even if left alone, provided the environment suits 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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