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Botanical Name : Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus
Family: Araliaceae
Subfamily: Aralioideae
Genus: Eleutherococcus
Species: Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus
Synonyms: Acanthopanax sessiliflorus
Common Names:
Habitat : Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus is native to E. Asia – China, Korea, Manchuria. It grows in moist woods, wooded riverbanks, forest edges and clearings.
Description:
Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus is a deciduous Shrub growing to 4.5 m (14ft 9in). Branches unarmed or with scattered, erect or recurved prickles. Petiole 3-12 cm, unarmed or with small prickles; petiolules 2-10 mm; leaflets 3-5, obovate, oblong-obovate, or oblong-lanceolate, 8-18 × 3-7 cm, papery, secondary veins 5-7 pairs, distinct, adaxially glabrous or slightly scabrous, base cuneate, margin irregularly serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, a raceme of umbels, borne on leafy shoots, with 3-6 capitate umbels; peduncles 0.5-3 cm, densely pubescent; pedicels absent (flowers sessile). Calyx with 5 teeth, white pubescent. Corolla dull purplish. Ovary 2-carpellate; styles united basally into a column, free apically. Fruit obovoid-globose, 1-1.5 cm; styles persistent, ca. 3 mm.
It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.
Cultivation:
Succeeds in an open loamy soil, preferring a well-drained humus-rich soil in full sun. Tolerates poor soils and atmospheric pollution. A very cold resistant plant if it is sheltered from cold winds, tolerating temperatures down to at least -15°c. A very ornamental plant, it spreads vigorously by means of suckers. This species is closely related to E. divaricatus.
Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. It can be slow to germinate. Stored seed requires 6 months warm followed by 3 months cold stratification and can be very slow to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse for at least the first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of ripe wood of the current season’s growth, 15 – 30cm long in a cold frame. Root cuttings in late winter. Division of suckers in the dormant season.
Edible Uses:... Drink; Tea….Young leaves – raw or cooked and used as a vegetable. Old leaves are dried and used as a tea substitute. A wine is made from the bark. It is highly fancied by the Chinese. It is probably used mainly for medicinal purposes.
Medicinal Uses:
Adaptogen; Analgesic; Antiinflammatory; Antipyretic; Diuretic.
The root bark contains saponins, acanthosides, cardiac glycosides and polysaccharides. It is adaptogenic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and diuretic. It is used in Korea in the treatment of lumbago, neuralgia, arthritis and oedema.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eleutherococcus_sessiliflorus
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Eleutherococcus+sessiliflorus
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242320208