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Araliaceae FAMILY

Aralia humilis

Aralia humilis

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

Aralia humilis is found mainly in the subtropical and tropical regions of Central America. It does extend northwards to northern Mexico and southern Arizona and plants from these provenances should be worth trying outdoors in the milder areas of the temperate zone. Prefers a moderately fertile deep moisture-retentive well-drained loam and a position in semi-shade but also succeeds in a sunny position[1]. Requires a sheltered position[1]. Plants are hardier when grown on poorer soils[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed may require 3 - 5 months of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 4 months at 20°c[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Once the plants are 25cm or more tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions, late spring or early summer being the best time to do this. Root cuttings 8cm long, early winter in a cold frame[3, 4]. Store the roots upside down in sand and pot up in early to mid spring. High percentage[4]. Division of suckers in late winter[3]. Very easy, the suckers can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Aralia+humilis>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]Growing from Seed. Volume 2. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1988 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  5. [5]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  6. [6]Systematics and Biogeography of Aralia L. (Araliaceae): Revision of Aralia Sects. Aralia, Humiles, Nanae, and Sciado — Jun Wen · Smithsonian Institute; Washington · 2011 · http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/pubs/CUSNH/ · ISBN 0097-1618 ↩︎A detailed revision of four sections of the genus Aralia.