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Oplopanax japonicus

Common name:		Family:	Araceae
Author:	(Nakai.)Nakai.	Botanical references:	11, 60, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant is densely armed with spikes and these spikes are irritant[200]. Although no specific mention has been seen for this plant, it belongs to a genus where the species are usually rich in calcium oxylate, this is toxic and if consumed makes the mouth and digestive tract feel as though hundreds of needles are being stuck into it. However, calcium oxylate is easily destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant.
Range:	E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat:	Moist woods, especially by streams[11] and usually in rich soils[99].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arales. Arum family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 3m. It is hardy to zone 6 and is frost tender. It is in flower in June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Young shoots - peeled and then cooked[46, 61, 105, 106]. Only the very young shoots are used[172].
The roots can be chewed after peeling[105, 106, 161].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antiphlogistic Antirheumatic Hypoglycaemic Tonic.

The root bark and stems are analgesic, antiphlogistic, antirheumatic, hypoglycaemic and tonic[172].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a cool moist soil[11, 200]. Prefers a position in light shade[182]. Prefers dense shade and is probably best if grown in moist woodland[1, 11]. Tolerates maritime exposure[200]. (Rather a strange report for a plant that needs to be grown in dense shade[K])
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -15° c, but the young shoots in spring can be damaged by late frosts[11, 200]. It is therefore best not grown in a frost pocket[182].
This species used to be included in O. horridus as the Japanese form of that species, but it has recently (1991) been recognised as a distinct species[200].
A very ornamental plant, but it is densely armed with spikes[60]. It transplants easily and also tolerates pruning[200].
The leaves and stems are excessively spiny[182].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of suckers in the dormant season.
Root cuttings in a greenhouse in the winter[188].

Suppliers

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

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Araceae.

[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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is 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.

[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.

[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.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[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.

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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