Aralia elata aka Japanese Angelica Tree

Aralia elata, also known as the Japanese angelica tree, Chinese angelica-tree, or Korean angelica-tree, is a fast-growing woody plant belonging to the Araliaceae family. It is a large shrub or small tree that can reach heights of up to 8 meters. The plant has variegated leaves with irregular yellow margins and paler undersides, and small white flowers that bloom in large panicles from late summer to early autumn. These flowers are followed by black fruits. It is found in China, Japan, Korea, the Far East, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands, with its northern range border running between 45-50 ° N. It prefers to grow in bright places, clearings, and edges of mixed or coniferous forests. The Manchurian aralia is closely related to the tall aralia, with wider leaves and a loose inflorescence. Some consider them to be the same species, Aralia elata. The plant has a superficial, radial root system that extends horizontally up to 10-25 cm from the soil surface. At a distance of 2-3 meters from the trunk, the roots bend steeply downward, branching abundantly. The leaves are large, compound, and doubly pinnate, consisting of lobes and leaflets. The flowers, which are small and white or creamy, are arranged in umbrellas and form branched inflorescences at the top of the trunk. The fruit is blue-black and berry-shaped, containing five seeds. The roots of Aralia elata contain proteins, starch, carbohydrates, essential oil, mineral compounds, alkaloids, and triterpene pentacyclic saponins. The branches and leaves also contain carbohydrates, essential oil, flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, organic acids, and anthocyanins. The seeds contain unsaturated fatty acids. The plant typically blooms in its fifth year of life, with flowering occurring in July and August and fruit ripening in September-October.