About
Aralia californica is a robust, deciduous perennial characterized by its spiny stems and large, bi-pinnate foliage. In the autumn, it produces loose clusters of greenish-white flowers that transition to dark red, nearly black berries during the winter months.
About the genus
Aralia includes deciduous trees, shrubs, and perennial plants characterized by their sizable, either simple or pinnately compound foliage. The species produce small greenish-white flowers that cluster in large groups at the ends of branches, which eventually give way to small black fruits.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Poorly-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, Sub-tropical
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in any good moisture-retentive soil. Allow enough space for impressive leaves to display. For more information see shrub cultivation.
- Pruning
- Tidy up in spring
- Propagation
- Propagate by division in spring, or seed. For more advice see our information on how to propagate from seed (tree/shrub
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus in gardens where it is present but insufficient data to determine degree of susceptibility