Japanese Spikenard

A perennial in the ginseng family, native to mountains and fields from Hokkaidō to Kyūshū, also distributed in China and Korea. A large herb 1–2 m tall; young shoots and stems, with their distinctive aroma and texture, are a classic spring sansai wild vegetable used in sumiso dressings, tempura, and salads. Blanched cultivation is common; 'Tokyo udo' has been a traditional vegetable since the Edo period. The proverb 'udo no taiboku' ('a large udo tree') mocks being big but useless, as the stems can't serve as timber. Small white flowers appear in large umbels in summer.

Identification Points

• ✓1–2 m tall with thick green to brown stems
• ✓Large bi- to tri-pinnately compound leaves
• ✓White flowers in large umbels in summer

Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification

Phylogenetic Positionウコギ科 →