Aralia L. (1753), in the family Araliaceae, contains around 55 species in North America, eastern Asia, and from mainland Malaysia eastwards to the Philippines and New Guinea.

Description Trees to 14m, shrubs, or large herbaceous perennials, often with spiny stems, and a few climbers. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, simple or compound, with many, usually toothed leaflets. The flowers are bisexual or unisexual, white or greenish, in umbels or heads at the ends of the branches. Sepals 5, joined to form a shallow-toothed calyx. Petals usually 5, overlapping in bud. Stamens 5. Ovary inferior, generally with 2–5 cells; styles 5. Pollination is presumed to be by insects. The fruits are fleshy berries, usually black when ripe, with 2–5 large, hard seeds.

Key Recognition Features Recognised by its thick stems, large, usually compound leaves and inflorescences, and small, black fruit.

Evolution and Relationships The family Araliaceae is characterised by umbels of small flowers, usually with an inferior ovary, and by its fleshy fruit; it is now often included with the Umbelliferae (also called Apiaceae), as there are genera that are intermediate between the 2 families. DNA studies of the relationships of the families suggest that Araliaceae is close to Pittosporaceae, in a group which includes Aquifoliaceae, Caprifoliaceae, and Compositae.
Aralia is close to Oplopanax (Torr. & Gray) Miq. from western North America and northeastern Asia, but that has spiny, deciduous stems, large, lobed leaves, and elongated sprays of red berries.

Ecology and Geography In woods, scrub, or clearings in forest in eastern and western North America, and from the Himalayas eastwards to Japan and the Kuril Islands.

Comment Aralia elata (Miq.) Seeman from Japan is a large shrub or tree with huge, compound leaves and fine heads of flowers in late summer; the variegated forms are especially valued in gardens. The young shoots of A. chinensis L. and A. cordata L. are eaten as vegetables. Araliaspinosa L. is the prickly Hercules club from North America.