# Japanese Angelica Tree (*aralia elata*) The Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata) is a striking, fast-growing deciduous small tree native to East Asia, including Japan, Korea, China, and eastern Siberia. Known for its sparse branching habit and highly dramatic, umbrella-like silhouette, it commands immediate attention in its native forests. Its stems and branches are aggressively armored with sharp, stout prickles that serve as a strong defense against herbivores, earning it a reputation as a formidable barrier plant in natural ecosystems. In spring, the tree produces highly prized, edible young shoots known as 'tara-no-me' in Japan, which are traditionally harvested and deep-fried as tempura. As summer transitions to autumn, the tree is transformed by massive, cloud-like clusters of tiny white flowers that attract a wealth of pollinators, followed by clusters of small, dark-purple to black berries that feed migrating songbirds. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Found in open woodlands, forest edges, clearing margins, and disturbed areas where plenty of sunlight is available. ![Japanese Angelica Tree](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/175086903/medium.jpg) Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/175086903) ## Appearance The Japanese Angelica Tree typically grows 3 to 10 meters tall with a sparse, upright form and very few side branches. It features massive, doubly or triply compound pinnate leaves that can reach over a meter in length, giving the crown a lush, exotic appearance. The bark is light grey and heavily armed with sharp, stout prickles. In late summer, large terminal panicles of creamy-white flowers bloom, which later give way to small, glossy black spherical drupes arranged in dense, flat-topped clusters on purplish stems. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Apiales - **Family:** Araliaceae - **Genus:** Aralia ## Interesting facts - Due to its fierce defense of sharp prickles covering the stems, it is colloquially referred to as 'Devil's Walking Stick' in the United States, a name shared with its native North American relative. - In Japan, the young, tender spring shoots are known as 'tara-no-me' and are considered a supreme wild vegetable ('sansai'), typically fried as tempura. - In traditional East Asian medicine, various parts of the tree, especially the bark and roots, are used to treat joint pain, diabetes, and digestive issues. ## Special abilities - **Armored Defense:** The trunk, branches, and even the leaf stems are covered in sharp, stout prickles that deter large herbivores from feeding on its foliage. - **Rapid Root Colonization:** The plant can easily sprout from root suckers, allowing it to rapidly colonize disturbed areas and recover quickly from physical damage. - **Late Season Bloomer:** Its late-season blooming period produces massive, nectar-rich flower panicles that provide a critical food source for bees and flies when other flowers are scarce. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 300-1000 cm - **Lifespan:** 20-40 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photoautotrophic plant, it manufactures its own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water through photosynthesis, supplemented by minerals absorbed through its root system. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Carbon dioxide, Water, Soil nutrients ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Birds consume the small, dark purple berries in autumn and disperse the seeds through their droppings. - **Mutualism:** Western Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Bees, especially honey bees, heavily forage on the abundant nectar-producing flowers during late summer. - **Eaten by:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Humans harvest the tender young shoots in early spring as a culinary delicacy. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Japanese Angelica Tree? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Japanese Angelica Tree? 300-1000 cm ### How long does Japanese Angelica Tree live? 20-40 years ### What does Japanese Angelica Tree eat? As a photoautotrophic plant, it manufactures its own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water through photosynthesis, supplemented by minerals absorbed through its root system. ### Where is Japanese Angelica Tree usually found? Found in open woodlands, forest edges, clearing margins, and disturbed areas where plenty of sunlight is available. ## Where to spot - [Cedar Brook Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cedar-brook-park) — New Jersey, US · Park - [Colonial Germantown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/colonial-germantown-historic-district) — Pennsylvania, US · Historic District - [Middle Haddam Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/middle-haddam-historic-district) — Connecticut, US · Historic District [View all places to see Japanese Angelica Tree](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/japanese-angelica-tree) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Japanese Angelica Tree: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/japanese-angelica-tree)