Aralia Manchurian frost resistance. Aralia Manchurian: planting and proper care. Chemical composition and pharmacology

Its straight, almost unbranched trunks, reaching 4-5 m in height, are studded with large thorns. For centuries this beauty was known as a “devil’s tree.” Because of the sharp thorns, people did not notice her palm-shaped outfit, nor lush flowering, nor exotic beauty. It grows quickly, is undemanding to the soil and, in addition, the tall aralia is a good honey plant. The shoots are thick, round, slightly furrowed, seated with numerous strong sharp spines and bristles, ash-gray, sometimes greenish-gray. Buds are sparsely scattered. The leaves are very large (up to 1 m), alternate, double or triple pinnately compound, collected at the tops of the shoots, which gives the plant some resemblance to a palm tree. In spring they are light green above, light gray below, in summer they are green, in autumn period are painted in pink-violet, sometimes reddish tones, and quickly fall off. Very decorative during flowering and fruiting. Small, white-cream fragrant flowers it is collected in large (up to 54 cm), complex paniculate inflorescences crowning the tops of trunks and branches. It is most spectacular at the height of flowering, which occurs at the end of summer, which not only enhances the decorative value of this species, but is also a good help for beekeepers.


Duration of Aralia flowering Manchurian up to 25 or more days. The fruits are berry-shaped, blue-black, small, of 5 clearly visible segments-nests, inedible, very beautiful view, especially during the ripening period. Until late autumn, large panicles with ripe fruits, bent under their own weight, decorate the tops of plants, effectively standing out against the background of the variegated colors. autumn foliage. Weight of 1000 seeds is 0.8-1.4 g. Full winter hardiness. Seed viability 76%. Shoot-forming ability is high. 33% of summer cuttings take root when treated with a 0.05% IBA solution for 16 hours.

It has decorative form almost thornless or with sparse thorns - (f. subinermis); f. pyramidalis - a bush directed upward, with smaller leaves than other varieties.

"Aureo-variegata". Up to 3 m height. Large openwork leaves form a crown with a diameter of almost 2.5 m. Each leaf is about 1 m long and 70-80 cm wide at the bottom. It is divided into a huge number of small opposite leaves. The young leaves of this plant are spotted with an irregular yellow stripe along the edge. The entire trunk is covered with thorns. They are even on the leaf petioles. In central Russia it bears fruit around the seventh year of life. The fruits appear on the plant in October - these are dark blue berries, they look great against the background of reddish leaves. And in August they are preceded by small ones, decorative flowers, collected in loose panicles 30-35 cm long.
"Variegata". A slow-growing bush or small tree up to 3 m high. It looks very unusual - the trunk is covered in large thorns and is topped with a bunch of large, long (up to 1 m) openwork feathery silver-white leaves. In summer, white flowers appear on the aralia. In autumn, in September, they turn into bluish-black inedible fruits unusual looking. The trunks of the bushes do not branch, which gives this plant a resemblance to a palm tree or tree fern.

The prices charged for varietal plants are justifiably high all over the world, since they are propagated exclusively by grafting with a low yield of finished material.

Chinese Aralia (A. chinensis) - not as prickly as aralia manchurian, it is smaller in size and has rounded inflorescences.

High Aralia or Manchurian is a beautiful ornamental plant that can decorate any garden or park. Caring for her is not at all difficult. And planting can be done in several ways, choosing the most preferable one. That's why she's so popular. A medicinal and ornamental tree that pleases the eye with its exotic look- Aralia Manchurian, planting and caring for it usually does not cause any particular difficulties.

It is quite unpretentious in cultivation. Used in both single and group plantings. It can also grow as a shrub with several trunks. Planted in a garden, square or park it is its real decoration. Aralia is very beautiful summer time during the flowering period, but it is especially attractive in the fall. The combination of clusters of bluish-black fruits with purple foliage is simply mesmerizing. But looking at a photo cannot, of course, convey all the true beauty of this plant. You only need to admire her in person.

Varieties and varieties of Aralia

Among its types are:

• deciduous low trees;
• shrubs with several trunks;
• large herbaceous plants-perennials.

Blooming Aralia

There are only about 70 varieties of aralia, high or Manchurian is one of them. You can see what it looks like in the photo. It grows wild in the Far East of our country, mainly in the form of a tree up to 5 m tall. There are no side shoots, it branches in the upper part of the trunk, the location of the roots is superficial. The leaves of the plant are complex-pinnate. In summer the foliage is green, and in autumn - different shades of crimson. Aralia is light-loving, grows well in slight shade, and is frost-resistant. In culture it is grown in middle lane and in the northwestern territory of Russia.

Aralia Manchurian: planting

There are several ways to plant it. Quite common is the seed one. For this, it is best to take freshly harvested seeds. They have good germination, but can be stored for no more than 1.5 years. Aralia is sown in autumn in well-fertilized soil to a depth of no more than 2 cm, maintaining a distance between holes of 50-60 cm, covering them with humus on top.

Aralia berries

Spring sowing is also possible. But in this case, mandatory stratification of the seed material is required, and seedlings will appear only after a few months. Convenient in early spring Before the buds grow, plant root cuttings to a depth of approximately 6 cm.

Plant care

Caring for Manchurian aralia is not particularly difficult. It should be more thorough in the first year after planting. It is necessary to loosen the soil several times so that it is soft and breathable, but do this with caution, trying not to damage the roots due to their close location to the surface. The soil should be moderately moist: do not allow water to stagnate. Removal of weeds in the tree trunk circle is also required.

Aralia does not require much attention

Mulching also has a beneficial effect on crop growth. Despite the fact that Aralia is considered frost-resistant, it is subject to some freezing, but then it is mostly restored. And sanitary pruning of branches is usually carried out in the spring to remove those that have grown on the wrong side.

Advice. To protect the roots from freezing, it is better to cover the tree trunk circle in the winter, for example, with spruce branches or leaves, and in winter, cover it with snow.

The importance of fertilizing and feeding aralia

The plant responds well to the application of fertilizers - organic and mineral. Be sure to fertilize the soil at the time of planting root cuttings or sowing seeds. Adult specimens require fertilization in the spring, as well as in the summer during bud setting. If necessary, fertilizing can also be done in the fall.

Reproduction of Aralia Manchurian

The plant can reproduce successfully in the following ways:

• seminal;
• root cuttings;
• shoots from roots;
• shoots

Any vegetative method is suitable for propagating aralia.

It is possible to propagate plants by seeds, but this method is quite labor-intensive and specific. It is much easier to grow aralia from root cuttings or suckers. In the fall, they can be separated from the main bush and then planted separately. It is not always easy to obtain material for planting, but it is possible if desired. Also, young shoots may form around the tree; they are carefully separated and planted in spring or autumn.

Plant diseases and pests

Aralia is resistant to fungus. But its roots may be in danger from wireworms, May beetle larvae, and mole crickets. Therefore, when planting, it is necessary to dig up the soil well and free it from pests. In addition, slugs can eat the foliage.

Aralia Manchurian can be called the “northern palm”. It looks simply great in a garden or park. Thanks to its beauty and ease of care, the plant is so popular.

Description of Manchurian Aralia: video

Aralia: photo

Aralia Manchurian, or high (devil-tree, thorn-tree)

Aralia (lat. Arália) is a genus of plants of the Araliaceae family, which includes 68 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and perennial rhizomatous herbs. Species of the genus are distributed in Asia and North America, while most of them grow in mountainous forested areas. "Aralia" is the Indian name for the North American species.

Manchurian Aralia (lat. Aralia mandshurica Rupr. et Maxim.), or high Aralia (lat. Aralia elata) is a species of fast-growing tree or shrub, the genus Aralia of the Araliaceae family. Manchurian Aralia is close to High Aralia, which is distinguished by wider leaves and a loose inflorescence with a large number of umbrellas. However, all these signs are not significant and are not always strictly observed. Therefore, many botanists consider both of these aralia to be one species, which should bear the priority name Aralia elata

Popular name: devil's tree, thorn - tree. The thorny thickets of aralia caused a lot of trouble for travelers and ginseng collectors. That’s why they called it “devil’s tree”, “thorn tree”. Manchurian Aralia grows in Primorye, in the Far East in the undergrowth of mixed and coniferous forests, on the edges, clearings, singly or in small groups of trees. In our country they also grow on Sakhalin, on the Kuril Islands. On good soil, Aralia Manchurian reaches 3 meters in height.

Aralia Manchurian tree with a superficial root system consisting mainly of thick roots up to 5 cm in diameter. The trunk is straight, unbranched, and covered with numerous thorns. The leaves are large, thrice pinnately divided, growing on long petioles, directly from the upper part of the trunk. Inflorescences collected in an umbrella of 6 - 8 pieces at the tops of the trunk. The fruits are berry-shaped, blue-black in color, with a diameter of 3 to 5 mm, containing five seeds inside. The average weight of one fruit is 50 mg. The Manchurian Aralia tree blooms in July - August, and the fruits ripen in September - early October. Fruiting is stable, annual. Mature plant Aralia is capable of producing up to 60 thousand fruits.

Aralia Manchurian is undemanding to growing conditions. Can be used as decorative, fast growing tree for single and group plantings, suitable for hedges, honey plant, decorative. After cutting down or freezing it produces abundant root growth. Manchurian aralia is propagated by root shoots, seeds, and root cuttings. The seeds have an underdeveloped embryo, so stratification is needed for 3-4 months at a temperature of 14-20°C and 3-4 months at 2-5°C. Sow seeds to a depth of 1 cm.

Aralia Manchurian, or devil's tree, has medicinal properties. The roots of Manchurian Aralia are mainly used in medicine. Triterpene saponins, glycosides aralosides A, B, C were found in its roots; aralin alkaloid, essential oil and resins. Preparations from Manchurian Aralia are obtained industrially and are also prepared at home. In folk and official medicine, tincture of Manchurian aralia is used as a tonic and regulating function of the central nervous system a remedy used for atherosclerosis, cerebral sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, schizophrenia. For the majority, sleep improves, appetite increases, headaches and heart pain decrease.

Galenic preparations of Manchurian aralia have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which is more active than the effect of ginseng and eleutherococcus preparations. Preparations from Manchurian Aralia do not have a significant effect on arterial pressure, somewhat stimulate breathing and have some cardiotonic effect. The anti-stress effect of Manchurian Aralia preparations has also been established. Aralia Manchurian is used to treat diabetes. Rhizomes with Aralia roots are included in many antidiabetic preparations. The strong hypoglycemic effect of Manchurian aralia sometimes causes increased appetite, but an increase in appetite does not always lead to an increase in body weight, it increases general activity, performance increases, with an increase in the amount of food consumed, the amount of energy consumed also increases. The ability of aralia to increase appetite can be successfully used to treat low appetite in children, while the doses of aralia are selected individually, adjusted for the child’s lower body weight.

It should be noted that it should be used only as recommended and under the supervision of a physician. The Manchurian Aralia preparation is CONTRAINDICATED for epilepsy, hyperkinesis, hypertension, increased nervous excitability, and insomnia. It is not recommended to prescribe it in the evening (to avoid disruption of night sleep). All parts of aralia contain various toxic glycosides, saponins and alkaloids. In case of aralia poisoning, a person may experience the following symptoms: respiratory failure, loss of consciousness, bleeding.

The medicinal raw materials are the roots, bark and leaves of Manchurian Aralia. The roots are harvested in the fall, starting in September or in the spring before the leaves bloom. The roots are dug with a shovel, pulling out with a crowbar, starting to dig from the trunk, carefully moving to the periphery of the root. Roots 1-3 cm thick are suitable as raw materials. Roots with a diameter of less than 1 cm and more than 3 cm are not dug up. When preparing, you should not dig up all root system plants. One root, extending radially from the trunk, must be left in the soil. It has numerous adventitious buds, which ensures the restoration of aralia thickets after harvesting. It is recommended to plant a root cutting of aralia about 10 cm long and 1-3 cm in diameter in place of the dug up plant. When harvesting, 5-15 year old specimens should be used.

The dug up roots of Manchurian aralia are thoroughly cleaned of soil, small roots and other impurities, while removing roots with a blackened or rotten central part, as well as roots with a diameter thicker than 3 cm. The roots are quickly washed, sawn into pieces 10-20 cm long, thick roots are cut along. Dry in dryers at temperatures up to 60°C or in well-ventilated areas, and in dry weather outdoors. The shelf life of raw materials is 2 years. The taste is slightly astringent, bitter, the smell is aromatic.

The bark of Manchurian aralia is collected at the same time as the roots, the leaves - during and after flowering in dry sunny weather. The bark and leaves are dried at a temperature of 50-55°C.

Decoction of Manchurian Aralia roots: 20 g of crushed raw materials pour into 200 ml hot water, boil in a closed enamel dishes in a water bath for 30 minutes, cool at room temperature 10 minutes, filter, squeeze and bring with boiled water to the original volume. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.

The roots of Aralia Manchurian are suitable for making tonic drinks. Young leaves are eaten boiled and fried. Feed for large cattle and sika deer.

High Aralia (Arália eláta), better known as Manchurian, is widespread in South-East Asia: China, Japan and Korea, in the Far Eastern regions of Russia: Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The Russian names for this plant are thorn tree, witch tree, devil tree. These are accurate popular names assigned to the tree for the many large, sharp thorns with which the trunk and branches are densely dotted.

Legends of Manchurian Aralia

Since ancient times, the Devil's tree has been surrounded by numerous legends. According to one of them, the devil once had a toothache. The devil suffered for a long time in pain, no damn remedies helped.

However, he accidentally learned that a beautiful girl lived in a deep forest - a doctor. And the devil decided to kidnap this girl in order to force her to cure her toothache and force her to marry him, the devil. With such evil thoughts, the devil headed into the forest where the girl lived. But forest warriors suddenly stood in his way - dense trees. The devil tried to go around the trees on one side and the other - but every time new trees appeared in front of him, the girl’s protectors. Out of despair and toothache, the devil decided to gnaw all the forest defenders. He began to bite trees, sink his teeth into them - and so he left all his teeth on the trunks. From then on, the devil became toothless, and the devil’s barbed teeth took root perfectly on the trunks and branches of the aralia. For this they nicknamed Aralia - the devil's tree. You may not believe in this legend - but the thorns of the plant are really sharp and strong, like damn teeth.

Distribution and description

Manchurian Aralia grows very quickly, one meter per year. Depending on the environment can develop in the form of a shrub or a single tree up to 12 meters high, and with a trunk diameter of up to 20 cm. Favorite places for settlement of Manchurian Aralia are the edges of mixed and coniferous forests with sufficient lighting, abandoned cutting areas and areas of burnt forest. The plant is distributed in flat and mountainous areas, up to an altitude of 2700 meters. It tolerates frost easily and is not susceptible to fungal diseases or pest attacks, with the exception of slugs.

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Manchurian Aralia has a subsurface radial distribution of the root system at a depth of 10–25 cm. However, at a distance of 3–5 m from the trunk, the roots begin to branch quite densely and sharply go deep into the soil by 50–60 cm.

• Aralia wood is quite unusual and is sometimes used to make small crafts. However, due to its softness and difficulty in drying, it has not found application in the forest industry.
• The tree has large leaves, reaching a length of one meter. The leaves are pinnate in shape and have 2–4 first-order lobes. Each lobe consists of 5–9 paired leaves. The edges of the leaves are sharp-toothed. The upper surface of the leaf is bright green, with or without sparse bristly hairs. The leaves below are covered with yellowish velvety pubescence, with sparse bristles along the veins.
• Manchurian Aralia begins to bloom at the age of five, usually in July-August. Its flowers are white or cream, quite small, united in numerous umbrellas. Especially many of these flower umbrellas are placed in the upper part of the trunk, creating half-meter multi-flowered inflorescences uniting up to 70 thousand flowers.
• In September - October, the Manchurian Aralia begins to bear fruit, the fruits ripen on it - blue-black, round berries with five seeds, mature tree produces up to 60 thousand fruits. The diameter of the berry is 3–5 mm.

Chemical composition and pharmacology

Nature has generously endowed the tree with substances that have high physiological activity (BAS) in relation to the human body.

1. The branches and leaves of the plant contain carbohydrates, essential oils, flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, organic acids and anthocyanins.
2. The roots of Manchurian aralia are rich in protein, starch, alkaloids, carbohydrates, essential oils, and various minerals. Particularly noteworthy is the content of oleanolic acid glycosides in the roots, which is the raw material for the production of the drug "Saparal" -effective means with low blood pressure, diseases of the nervous system, fatigue and impotence.
3. Aralia Manchurian seeds contain linoleic and octadecenoic fatty acids.

The rich chemical composition allows this plant to be widely used in modern pharmacology. Aralia preparations have anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. They are used to relieve symptoms of diabetes, treat cardiovascular and central nervous system problems. The coumarins contained in aralia prevent the development of tumor processes.

Aralia in folk medicine

The tree has found widespread use in folk medicine. People have long noticed that chewing the leaves and young shoots of this plant adds vitality and energy to the body. Tincture from the roots of Aralia Manchurian is recommended for flu and colds, stomatitis and toothache, diabetes, liver disease and as a diuretic. In terms of biological effects on the human body, aralia is very close to ginseng. It eliminates fatigue, increases performance, has a beneficial effect on diseases such as schizophrenia, neurasthenia, hypotension, stabilizes blood pressure, and reduces blood sugar.

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Preparation of aralia for medical purposes

Harvesting the roots, leaves and fruits of Manchurian aralia as medicinal raw materials has its own characteristics.
The roots are harvested during the period when there are no leaves on the tree: in September or early spring. It is better to do this on trees that are 5–15 years old. Select roots with a diameter of 1-3 cm. To avoid damaging the tree, do not cut off all root branches - the tree may die. The extracted root cuttings are cleaned of soil residues, darkened and rotten areas, and washed in running water. Then the roots must be dried under a canopy or in a drying chamber at a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees. Harvested and dried roots can be stored for up to two years.
Leaves and bark are collected during the flowering period of the tree or immediately after it, then dried in a drying chamber at a temperature not exceeding 55 degrees.

Sweet taste of aralia

High Aralia is an excellent honey plant, producing high yields of honey. Assembled with flowering tree honey is characterized by slow crystallization, long time remains easy to flow. The color of this honey is light yellowish-pink. The taste is very soft and pleasant, without rich foreign flavors.

Devil's tree honey has proven its effectiveness in the treatment of prostate gland and impotence in men, complex treatment of hypotension and anemia.

Planting and care

To grow aralia, it is better to use humus-rich, moderately moist and well-drained soils. The soil must be acidic. Clayey, sandy and calcareous soils are not suitable for growing Manchurian aralia. It is important to avoid excess moisture in the root system, especially during prolonged rains in autumn and snow melting in spring.
Planting Aralia on personal plot It is advisable to use seedlings or root cuttings purchased from trusted gardeners. Growing this plant from seeds is a long and complex process, accessible only to experienced specialists.
Planting is usually done in the fall after the tree sheds its leaves, or in early spring before the first leaves appear. Autumn planting is carried out with simultaneous peat mulching of the soil around the trunk to a depth of 4–5 cm.

Caring for a tree does not cause any difficulties for gardeners, but in the first year of the plant’s life, caring for it should be more thorough. Caring for a young plant comes down to shallow loosening of the soil and periodic weeding within a radius of 3 meters from the trunk, as well as watering when the soil becomes very dry. It is not necessary to prune the plant. Usually the tree does not suffer from icy frosty winters, but belated spring frosts capable of destroying young shoots and leaves of the plant. For this reason spring care consists of inspecting the crown and removing dead branches. In particularly cold winters, additional care of the tree's root system is necessary. Land in the area trunk circle covered with fallen leaves or mown grass. This will help protect the roots from freezing.

Growing Aralia Manchurian can cause inconvenience to plants located next to it, displacing and suppressing them. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the height and shape of the tree’s crown, and annual pruning of branches.

Aralia is widely used as ornamental plant, from it beautiful thorny hedges and solid green walls are formed. To maintain the beautiful aesthetic appearance of such plantings, care is required, which consists of periodically trimming branches, trimming young shoots and removing dry shoots.

Aralia is one of the representatives of the genus of flowering plants from the Araliaceae family. Aralia species are low trees, most often with a thorny and branched trunk at the top, shrubs or large perennial herbaceous plants. The height of the grasses is approximately 50 cm, while the trees sometimes reach 20 meters.

Aralia is a deciduous plant. The leaves are arranged alternately, without stipules, and are quite large in size. Very often they are double or triple pinnate. Aralia has a lot of umbrellas, they are collected in large and complex paniculate inflorescences, and occasionally in an unbranched raceme. The flowers are small, staminate and bisexual. The fruits of the tree are dark purple, berry-shaped.

The plant is very fond of the soil of forest glades, edges and clearings of mixed or coniferous forests. The most preferred location is clearings or old burnt areas. In such places the plant can form simply impenetrable thickets.

In total, there are about 35 species of aralia, which grow in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, also found in Central and North America, and sometimes in temperate regions of Asia and North America.

Aralia high, or Aralia Manchurian

In Rus', this type of aralia had its own name - thorn tree or devil's tree. Manchurian aralia has a slight difference from high aralia - wider leaves and loose inflorescences with a large number of umbrellas. But these differences are so subtle and insignificant that often both plants are classified as the same species.

This type of aralia grows in Japan, China, Korea, and the Far East. It is also often found on the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, and Primorsky Krai.

Aralia cordate, or Schmidt's

This type of aralia is found in the Far East. It is a herbaceous perennial, reaching 1.5-2 meters in height, which also has a thick, fleshy and aromatic rhizome. The flowers of this plant are greenish or yellowish-white in color, small in size, collected in an apical paniculate inflorescence, which contains many umbels.

Aralia cordiforma blooms in July-September, and the fruits ripen in August-September.

Aralia - landscape decoration

Aralia bushes are quite unusual and interesting, and therefore are often used to decorate the landscape. Also, considering that the plant has low requirements for moisture and soil, is quite unpretentious, and tolerates replanting well, it generally becomes an excellent option for gardeners. It is often used to create impenetrable hedges, group plantings and tapeworms. In Russia, the most popular plant used for this purpose is the Manchurian aralia, which is very decorative during flowering.

Other Applications

Aralia has interesting medicinal properties, and therefore is widely used in the treatment of various diseases. It is used to treat asthenia and hypotension, physical and mental fatigue, the initial stages of atherosclerosis, even impotence. The plant is a good stimulant for the central nervous system and is very effective in treating asthenodepressive conditions caused by traumatic brain injury.

Aralia is used for mental and nervous diseases, but is also very good in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, colds, diabetes, toothache. In general, it has a general strengthening effect on the human body, since it contains essential oil, protein, and alkaloids.