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Eleutherococcus sieboldianus

Common name:	Ukogi	Family:	Araliaceae
Author:	(Makino.)Koidz.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:	Aralia pentaphylla (Siebold.&Zucc. non Thunb.), Acanthopanax spinosus (Hort. non (L.f.)Miq.), Acanthopanax pentaphyllus ((Siebold.&Zucc.)Marchal.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	Escaped from cultivation in Japan, where it grows wild in calcareous soils[275].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Acanthopanax sieboldianus[B,G,H,P] Acanthopanax spinosum[E,H] Arailia pentaphylla[P] E. pentaphyllus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Wu Chia [E], Wu Chia P'I [E], Wu Chia P'I Chiu [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Ginseng family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 2.5m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Tea.

Young leaves - cooked[46, 61, 177]. A delicious somewhat fragrant flavour[105, 183].
The dried leaves are a tea substitute[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge.

The plant is used as a hedge[200].

Cultivation details

Prefers a light warm open loamy humus-rich soil and a position sheltered from north and east winds[11, 200]. Prefers a well-drained soil and full sun[200]. Thrives in sun or shade according to another report. Tolerates urban pollution and poor soils[200].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c if they are sheltered from cold winds[200].
Cultivated as a medicinal and culinary plant in Japan[58], there are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame[200]. It can be slow to germinate. Stored seed requires 6 months warm followed by 3 months cold stratification[113] and can be very slow to germinate[133]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least the first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[113, 200].
Cuttings of ripe wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 30cm long in a cold frame[238].
Root cuttings in late winter[200].
Division of suckers in the dormant season[200].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Acanthopanax sieboldianus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Acanthopanax spinosum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Eleutherococcus pentaphyllus (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Araliaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.