Aralia elata
Encyclopedia
Aralia elata or Japanese Angelica-tree is a woody
plant belonging to the Aralia family (Araliaceae)
.
or shrub
growing up to 6 m in height, native to eastern Russia
, China
, Korea
, and Japan
.
In Japan
it is known as tara-no-ki (Katakana: タラノキ/Kanji: 楤木), and in Korea as dureup namu (두릅나무). It prefers deep loamy soils in partial shade, but will grow in poorer soils and in full sun. The plant is sometimes cultivated, often in a variegated form, for its exotic appearance.
The bark
is rough and gray with prickles. The leaves
are alternate, large, 60-120 cm long, and double pinnate
. The flower
s are produced in large umbel
s in late summer, each flower small and white. The fruit
is a small black drupe
.
Aralia elata is closely related to the American species Aralia spinosa
, with which it is easily confused.
s are eaten in the spring. They are picked from the end of the branches and are fried in a tempura
batter.
In Korean cuisine, its shoots called dureup are used for various dishes, such as dureup jeon (두릅전), that is a variety of jeon
(pancake-like dish) made by pan-frying the shoots covered with minced beef and batter.
Dureup namul
(두릅나물), also called dureup muchim (두릅무침) is a dish made by parboiling dureup seasoned with gochujang
(chili pepper paste).
It is also common to eat Aralia elata as Dureup bugak (두릅부각), fried shoots of the plant coated with glutinous rice paste, usually served along with chal jeonbyeong (찰전병), a kind of pancake made by pan-frying glutinous rice flour.
in the Northeastern United States.
Woody plant
A woody plant is a plant that uses wood as its structural tissue. These are typically perennial plants whose stems and larger roots are reinforced with wood produced adjacent to the vascular tissues. The main stem, larger branches, and roots of these plants are usually covered by a layer of...
plant belonging to the Aralia family (Araliaceae)
Araliaceae
Araliaceae is a family of flowering plants, also known as the Aralia family or Ivy family. The family includes 254 species of trees, shrubs, lianas and perennial herbaceous plants into 2 subfamilies...
.
Description
It is an upright deciduous small treeTree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing up to 6 m in height, native to eastern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
it is known as tara-no-ki (Katakana: タラノキ/Kanji: 楤木), and in Korea as dureup namu (두릅나무). It prefers deep loamy soils in partial shade, but will grow in poorer soils and in full sun. The plant is sometimes cultivated, often in a variegated form, for its exotic appearance.
The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is rough and gray with prickles. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternate, large, 60-120 cm long, and double pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in large umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
s in late summer, each flower small and white. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a small black drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
.
Aralia elata is closely related to the American species Aralia spinosa
Aralia spinosa
Aralia spinosa, commonly known as Devil's Walkingstick, is a woody species of plants in the genus Aralia, family Araliaceae, native to eastern North America. The various names refer to the viciously sharp, spiny stems, petioles, and even leaf midribs...
, with which it is easily confused.
Gastronomy
In Japan, the shootShoot
Shoots are new plant growth, they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds, and leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop...
s are eaten in the spring. They are picked from the end of the branches and are fried in a tempura
Tempura
], is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried.-Batter:A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour . Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added...
batter.
In Korean cuisine, its shoots called dureup are used for various dishes, such as dureup jeon (두릅전), that is a variety of jeon
Jeon (food)
Jeon , buchimgae, jijimgae, or jijim refer to many pancake-like dishes in Korean cuisine. It has been also called jeonyueo or jeonyuhwa, especially in Korean royal court cuisine. Sometimes, jeonya is used as an abbreviated term for the two...
(pancake-like dish) made by pan-frying the shoots covered with minced beef and batter.
Dureup namul
Namul
Namul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul....
(두릅나물), also called dureup muchim (두릅무침) is a dish made by parboiling dureup seasoned with gochujang
Gochujang
Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard...
(chili pepper paste).
It is also common to eat Aralia elata as Dureup bugak (두릅부각), fried shoots of the plant coated with glutinous rice paste, usually served along with chal jeonbyeong (찰전병), a kind of pancake made by pan-frying glutinous rice flour.
Invasive species
The tree was introduced in 1830 in the United States. Birds like the fruits and are spreading its seeds allowing the tree to expand as an invasive speciesInvasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in the Northeastern United States.