Aralia

Aralia, or spikenard as it is often known, is a plant genus of at least 68 different official species of evergreen rhizomatous herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees. It originates from the mountainous woodland areas of the Americas and Asia. Aralia plants vary greatly in size depending on species, with some of the herbaceous varieties only growing as tall as 20 inches or 50 centimetres, compared to some of the tree varieties of Aralia growing an incredible 66 ft or 20 metres tall. All species of Aralia plants feature leaves that are doubly compound (bipinnate) in clusters at the ends of the branches or stems. The leaves on some species have bristles. Species of Aralia, such as the Aralia Spinosa, have very prickly stems. Although there are many different colours of Aralia flowers, the most common and popular are the plants with whitish and green hues. The Aralia produces purple, sphere-shaped fruit that birds like to eat, while some species (Aralia Cordata) are cultivated with the specific purpose of being eaten by humans. Aralia are available as potted plants from Holland from Astra Fund, who sell three different species in bulk, the Aralia Cordata, the Aralia Californica and the Aralia Continentalis.