Kalopanax Septemlobus
are small to mid-sized trees from Japan with some resemblance to Japanese Acers, with thorny mainstems. This variety Maximowiczii is a small ornamental deciduous tree with good autumn colour and large flat heads of pollinator-friendly white flowers. It suits mixed borders and low-maintenance gardens.
Kalopanax Septemlobus Maximowiczii is native to Japan, China, Korea and Russia and it’s named after the Russian botanist Maximowicz who discovered it in the 19 th
century. Better known as Castor Oil Tree
or Tree Aralia Maximowiczii, this ornamental shrub has deeply lobed leaves with 5-7 fingers. Each leaf can reach up to 30 centimetres in length and gently drapes from a long, thin stem. Foliage emerges in mixed greens, matures to deep green in the summer, and turns shades of red, orange and yellow in autumn before falling with the frosts. Alongside its summer foliage, it produces large flat heads of tiny white flowers that are pollinator-friendly. In autumn its flowers mature into tiny black berries for the birds.
This is a good choice for low-maintenance wildlife-friendly gardens that need a boost of colour in spring through to autumn.
