Aralia

Family Araliaceae. Name: 'Aralia' - the Native American name of the North American species.

Description: the genus includes 35 species occurring in North America, Asia, Malaya and Australia.

An interesting and distinctive plant that grows solitary or in small groups in the understory of mixed and coniferous forests of the southern Far East, Korea and Northeastern China. Commonly called the thorn-tree, the devil's tree and even the devil's club.

Its straight, almost unbranched stems, reaching 4-5 m in height, are covered with large spines. For centuries this beauty was known as the "devil's tree." Because of the sharp spines people did not notice its palm-like attire, nor its lush flowering, nor its exotic beauty. It grows quickly, is undemanding to soil and, in addition, is a good honey plant. The shoots are thick, round, slightly furrowed, set with numerous strong sharp spines and bristles, ash-gray, sometimes greenish-gray. Buds are sparsely distributed. The leaves are very large (up to 1 m), alternate, twice or three times pinnate, gathered at the tips of the shoots, which gives the plant some resemblance to a palm. In spring they are light green above, pale bluish-gray below; in summer green; in the autumn period they turn pink-violet, sometimes reddish, and fall quickly. Very decorative in the flowering period and fruiting. Its small, white-cream fragrant flowers are gathered into large (up to 54 cm), complex panicle inflorescences crowning the tops of stems and branches. Most striking at the height of flowering, which occurs at the end of summer, which not only increases the decorative value of this species but is also a good boon for beekeepers. Flowering lasts up to 25 or more days. Fruits are berry-like, blue-black, small, composed of 5 well-distinguished lobes, inedible, very attractive, especially during ripening. Until late autumn, large panicles with ripe fruits, bent under their own weight, decorate the tops of the plants, standing out effectively against the backdrop of brightly colored autumn foliage. There is a decorative form almost spineless or with rare spines - (f. subinermis).

Location: grows quickly, sun-loving, but prefers semi-shaded spots. Frost-hardy. In severe winters it sometimes freezes back to the root collar, but recovers quickly.

Soil: undemanding with respect to soil and moisture. However, sites with fertile, well-drained and moist soils are preferable. Does not tolerate spring waterlogging.

Planting: it is best to plant Aralia in autumn after leaf drop or in spring before bud break. It is desirable to mulch the soil around plants with peat to a depth of 3-4 cm, especially when planting in autumn.

Care: consists of shallow loosenings and weeding. Aralia responds well to feedings with mineral (nitroammophoska) and organic (manure slurry) fertilizers in early spring and during bud formation. The expansion of the clump is directed as needed by removing unwanted suckers. As the plant ages, shoots are removed.

Propagation: by seeds and by root cuttings or offsets. Unfortunately, seeds germinate poorly, so they must be stratified at variable temperatures or treated with gibberellin (with a treatment lasting a day). Aralia seeds are stratified for 3-4 months at 14-20° and for 4 months at 2-5°. Then Aralia is sown in the open ground, and seedlings appear after 7-8 months. After gibberellin treatment the seeds are rinsed with tap water and kept for 1 to 3 months at 18-20° until germination. Fresh seeds have better germination. They can be sown without any treatment in autumn, immediately after collection. Sow at a depth of 1.5-2 cm, cover with humus or peat crumb. Seedlings appear the following year. Store Aralia seeds for no more than 1.5 years - they lose viability quickly. In the Moscow Region seeds of a. маньчжурской and a. сердцевидной do not all ripen, only in the parts of the inflorescence that opened earlier.

Care of seedlings is not complicated - weeding and watering as needed. However, be careful when loosening the soil. If the superficial root system of Aralia is damaged, the plants overwinter poorly, develop slowly and do not form suckers (a. маньчжурская), so timely removal of weeds is important. Two-year-old seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.

Aralia reproduces much faster by root cuttings and sections of rhizomes, which are planted in spring to a depth of 5-6 cm.

Uses: on forest edges, in solitary and group plantings in parks and squares, in household plots when creating living hedges. In cultivation since the 1860s.