Herb: Taka-No-Tsume


Latin name: Eleutherococcus innovans


Synonyms: Acanthopanax innovans, Euodiopanax innovans, Gamblea innovans, Panax innovans


Family: Araliaceae (Ginseng Family)



Edible parts of Taka-No-Tsume:

Young leaves - cooked. A famine food, it is only used in times of scarcity.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
6 m
(20 feet)

Flowering:
June

Habitat of the herb:

Common in hills and mountains all over Japan.

Propagation of Taka-No-Tsume:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame or greenhouse. Sow stored seed in late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Root cuttings in late winter in a greenhouse. Division of suckers in the dormant season.

Cultivation of the herb:

Common in hills and mountains all over Japan.

Medicinal use of Taka-No-Tsume:

None known

Known hazards of Eleutherococcus innovans:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.