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Cannabaceae FAMILY

Aphananthe aspera

Aphananthe aspera

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Aphananthe aspera grows wild at low to moderate elevations in hardyness zones 7 - 10 in China. It succeeds outdoors at Kew Botanical Gardens, London (hardyness zone 7), where it has attained a height of 8 metres, though the young growth is sometimes cut back by late frosts, especially when the plant is young[1]. Succeeds in most soils, including dry gravels, but prefers a deep fertile soil[2]. Plants can be coppiced, and are sometimes grown this way when the bark is being utilized for its fibre. Young plants often make long, succulent growths each year that is then cut back in cold winters[1].

Propagation

Seed - it probably requires 2 - 3 months stratification. It is best to sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, otherwise sow as soon as possible in the year. Remove any pulp from the seed before sowing it[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter before planting them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Aphananthe+aspera>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  4. [4]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  5. [5]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  7. [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]The Industries of Japan — Rein J.J. · Hodder and Stoughton; London · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎It might be dated, but it still contains lots of relevant information about the useful plants of Japan. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎