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Kalopanax septemlobus Koidz.

Castor aralia (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Apiales > Araliaceae > Kalopanax

Characteristics

Trees, to 30 m tall. Trunk to ca. 1 m in diam.; branches stout, with numerous prickles. Petiole glabrous, 8-50 cm; leaf blade suborbicular, 9-25(-35) cm wide, papery, abaxially dark green and glabrous or nearly so, adaxially light green and usually slightly pubescent when young, 5-7-lobed; lobes broadly triangular-ovate to oblong-ovate, base cordate or rounded to nearly truncate, margin serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence 18-25 × 20-30 cm; peduncle 2-6 cm; umbels 1-2.5 cm in diam.; pedicels 5-10 mm, glabrous or slightly pubescent. Corolla white or yellowish green. Fruit dark blue at maturity, 3-5 mm in diam.; styles 2, united below, apical branches recurved. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Sep-Oct. 2n = 48.
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A tree up to 18-30 m high. It loses its leaves during the year. The crown is round. It has scattered stout prickles on the trunk. The leaves are large and lobed like fingers on a hand. There are 5-7 lobes. These are pointed and have fine teeth along the edge. The leaves are on long stalks. The leaves are dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are small and white in round heads. The fruit are bluish-black berries. These are in clusters.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0
Mature height (meter) 20.0 - 25.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests from near sea level to 2500 m altitude in China. It grows in Yunnan. It needs deep, moist, fertile soil. It can grow in sun or light shade. It suits hardiness zones 5-10.
More
Edges of mixed and broadleaved forests, high open forests; growing singly or in small groups. Cool deciduous forests; at elevations from near sea level to 2,500 metres.
Light 4-8
Soil humidity 3-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

The young stems and leaves can be eaten fresh or stir fried.
Uses construction environmental use material medicinal wood
Edible flowers leaves shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed or half hard cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Kalopanax septemlobus unspecified picture

Distribution

Kalopanax septemlobus world distribution map, present in Canada, China, Japan, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:90968-1
WFO ID wfo-0000220583
COL ID 6NK3F
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Kalopanax septemlobus Acanthopanax acerifolius Acanthopanax septemlobus Acer septemlobum Acer lobelii subsp. pictum Kalopanax ricinifolius var. chinensis Kalopanax ricinifolius var. chinense

Lower taxons

Kalopanax septemlobus subsp. lutchuensis Kalopanax septemlobus subsp. septemlobus Kalopanax septemlobus f. maximowiczii
WorldFloraDB 2024