2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Aralia cordata (lat. Aralia cordata) - herbaceous perennial; a representative of the Aralia clan of the Araliev family. The second name is Schmidt's aralia. It occurs naturally in Japan, Korea, eastern regions of China, Taiwan, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. It grows on mountain slopes, along forest edges, in forest glades and in light forests.
Characteristics of culture
Aralia cordate is a perennial herb up to 1.2 m high with a simple unbranched bare stem and a thick fleshy root with a pronounced aroma. The leaves are large, green, petiolate, compound, double or triple pinnate, consist of oblong-ovate or elliptical leaflets up to 20 cm long.
Leaves sit on short petioles, the length of which does not exceed 10 mm. The apical leaflets are wide, with an unequal or cordate base, pointed or elongated at the tips. The flowers are small, collected in large apical panicles up to 55 cm long, accompanied by additional racemose inflorescences that form in the axils of the upper leaves. The axial inflorescence is unbranched, loose. The calyx consists of five sharp triangular teeth and triangular-oval or lanceolate petals up to 2.5 mm long.
The fruits are very small, up to 4 mm in diameter, and have a black color. Aralia heart-shaped blooms in July - September, the fruits ripen in late September - early October. The species in question grows in May to October, sometimes to September (depending on climatic conditions). It has an average growth rate. Propagated by seed. It is actively used in ornamental gardening and folk medicine.
The subtleties of growing and care
Aralia cordate is an adherent of semi-shaded areas with fertile, drained, moderately moist and permeable soils. The culture will not tolerate waterlogging and stagnation of water, this can be the result of rotting of the root system and its further death. Planting aralia cordate is recommended in spring or autumn. After planting, the near-stem zone is carefully mulched with a thin layer of peat.
Sowing is carried out at the same time, with spring sowing, a two-stage stratification is required. The thing is that the seeds of the heart-shaped aralia, in fact, like other representatives of the genus, have an underdeveloped embryo, and without stratification the seeds simply will not germinate. Instead of stratification, you can use the following method: the seeds are immersed in a gibberllin solution for a day.
Immediately after treatment, the seeds are sown in the ground. It is not difficult to care for the seedlings, you should systematically remove weeds and carry out moderate watering. You need to be very careful with loosening, since the root system is located close to the soil surface. Damage to the root system can lead to slow development and instability to frost.
Caring for adult plants is complemented by fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers. The first feeding is carried out in early spring, the second - during budding. It is preferable to use fertilizers in liquid form. From organic matter, slurry should be preferred. Pruning of the species in question is not needed, as well as preventive treatment against pests and diseases.
Use in traditional medicine
Aralia is a medicinal plant. For medicinal purposes, plant roots are used. In the case of cordata aralia, the roots are harvested from five-year-old plants. It is by this time that they accumulate the optimal amount of saponins, ascorbic acid, choline, coumarins, vitamins A and B, essential oils and resinous substances. It should be noted that the chemical composition of the species in question is very similar to that of ginseng.
The roots are harvested in early spring or autumn. After digging, they are cleaned, divided into small pieces of 10 cm, placed for drying in a well-ventilated room or in a special dryer. After drying, the roots are stored in a dry room for 2 years. Also in folk medicine, young shoots of aralia cordate are used, and in Japan they are used in cooking. They are fermented, fried and boiled.
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