Japanese name: ハリブキ（針蕗） Scientific name:Oplopanax japonicus var. japonicus
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 1 m tall, found in slightly moist places in the subalpine zone.
The whole plant bears needle-like spines.
The leaf stalks, the veins on the underside of the leaves, and the axis of the inflorescence have coarse hairs.
The stem is almost unbranched and has half-moon-shaped leaf scars.
The leaves are alternate and clustered at the branch tips, 20–40 cm in both length and width, palmately divided into 7–9 lobes.
The lobes are further irregularly divided and have double serrations.
The base of the leaf is sometimes attached to the leaf stalk in a peltate manner.
The leaf stalk is 15–30 cm long.
It is dioecious.
Both male and female flowers are borne in large numbers in panicles; they are green, 5-petaled, and about 0.5 cm across.
The fruit is a flattened, spherical drupe that ripens red.
[Uses]
It is used as a folk remedy.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers partial shade to shade and fertile, slightly moist soil that is well drained and retains water well.
Water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
In early spring, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
