Castor Aralia is a large flowering shade tree native to eastern Asia and the only large tree in the Aralia (Ivy) family. Under cultivation, a mature tree can reach a height of 60 feet with an equal spread; in the wild, it can reach 100 feet high in cool, moist forest environments. The genus name comes from the Greek word kalos meaning beautiful and Panax , the name of a related genus. The species name means 7 lobes. Castor Aralia prefers deep, moist, high organic matter and well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. The plant does tolerates light shade and is cold hardy, but does not do well in the hot and humid summers of the deep South. Avoid dry soils. This low maintenance plant has showy white flowers that bloom in late summer, and black fruits. The large leaves resemble castor bean.Young trees are armed with spines that tend to disappear from the trunk and larger branches as the tree matures. The tree is widely cultivated for timber in China. Use it as a shade or landscape tree. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
more than 60 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in. | Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Oval
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Palmasect
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark green glossy toothed palmate leaves up to 14 inches wide with 5 to 7 lobes. The large leaves resemble castor beans. Leaves turn dull yellow to red in fall, but are not particularly showy.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Profuse terminal, umbel-like panicles of tiny white flowers appear in July and August.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Tiny black fruits in compound clusters ripen in fall.
Bark color
Dark Gray
Bark detail
Mature bark is ridged, furrowed and dark gray.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Russian Far East to China and Eastern Asia
Distribution
Introduced into New York.
Wildlife value
Birds enjoy fruits.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Drupe
Uses (ethnobotany)
The bark and the leaves are used as an insecticide.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Shade Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree; Shade Tree; Specimen
Garden tags
#deciduous tree #deciduous #flowering tree #large tree #glossy leaves #showy flowers #showy fruits #white flowers #flowers late summer #shade tree #thorns #wildlife friendly #spines #slow growing