Aralia elata
Aralia elata | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Araliaceae |
Genus: | Aralia |
Species: | A. elata |
Binomial name | |
Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem., 1868 | |
Aralia elata, commonly called Chinese angelica-tree,[1] Japanese angelica-tree,[2] and Korean angelica-tree,[3] is a woody plant belonging to the family Araliaceae. It is known as tara-no-ki (タラノキ; 楤木) in Japanese, and dureup-namu (두릅나무) in Korean.[1]
Description
It is an upright deciduous small tree or shrub growing up to 10 m (33 ft) in height,[4] native to eastern Russia, China, Korea, and Japan.
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 flowers are produced in large umbels 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.
Gastronomy
Japan
In Japan, the shoots (taranome) are eaten in the spring. They are picked from the end of the branches and are fried in a tempura batter.
Korea
In Korean, the young shoot is called dureup(두릅), and the plant is called dureupnamu(두릅나무, "dureup tree"). The young shoots are harvested during a month, from early April to early May, when they are soft and fragrant. In Korean cuisine, the shoots are commonly eaten blanched as namul, pickled as jangajji, pan-fried as jeon, or deep-fried as bugak.
Dishes
- dureupbugak – a type of bugak (fritter), made by coating dureup with wheat flour, steaming it, sun-drying it, and deep-frying it in oil. The fritter is usually served with chaljeonbyeong, a pan-fried glutinous rice cake.
- dureupjangajji – a type of jangajji (pickle), made by blanching dureup and pickling it. The pickling sauce is made by boiling the mixture of soy sauce, water, maesilcheong (plum syrup), sugar, and vinegar with kelp, then cooling it.
- dureupjeon – a type of jeon, made by blanching dureup, coating it with starch and eggwashing it, then pan-frying it in oil
- dureupnamul – a type of namul, made by blanching dureup in salted water. It is usually served with dipping sauce called chogochujang, which is "vinegar-gochujang" or chilli paste mixed with vinegar.
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 species in the Northeastern United States.[5]
References
- 1 2 "Aralia elata". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ↑ Korea National Arboretum (2015). English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: National Arboretum. p. 357. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service.
- ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Aralia elata". Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ↑ U.S. Dept. of Agriculture: Map of distribution in U.S. and Canada