Kalopanax pictus
Castor-aralia
Araliaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to China, Korea and Japan
- hardy to zone 4
Habit and Form
- a medium to large deciduous tree
- reaches heights of 40' to 60' under cultivation
- young trees are very upright, coarse and open
- mature trees are oval to rounded and fill in to develop a robust crown
- branches are coarse and heavy
Summer Foliage
- alternate, simple, palmately-lobed leaves
- leaves with 5 to 7 lobes
- each shallow lobe is triangular shape
- leaf margins with small teeth
- leaves can be up to 14" wide on young vigorous shoots, but are generally 8" to 10" wide
- leaf shape somewhat reminiscent of sweetgum or some maples
- leaf color is dark, glossy green
Autumn Foliage
- generally yellow and not overly impressive
- occasionally leaves will turn reddish
Flowers
- small white flowers in large, branched clusters
- clusters of flowers are 12" to 24" across
- generally numerous and quite showy
- bloom time is July to early August
- bees are attracted to the blossoms
Fruit
- small black fruits
- ripen in October
- liked by birds and taken quickly
Bark
- shoots and stems are armed with prickles or thorns
- even younger trunks will display prickles
- older trunks develop a dark gray to black bark that is deeply ridges and furrowed.
Culture
- full sun
- prefers deep, rich, moist soil
- soil pH adaptable
- easily grown
- long-lived
- pest-free
Landscape Use
- shade tree
- specimen
- for something a little different than the standard fare
- for summer flowering
Liabilities
- uncommon and hard to find
- prickles or thorns on branches
- coarse and gaunt when young
ID Features
- prickles and thorns on branches
- large clusters of small white flowers in mid summer
- coarse, heavy branching
- shallow, palmate lobing on the leaves
- leaves resemble sweetgum or some maples
Propagation
- by seed
Cultivars/Varieties
var. maximowiczii - The leaves of this rare variety are deeply lobed, almost dissected to the leaf center.