The Genus Kalopanax (Miq.) contains two species: K. sciadophylloides (Franch and Savat.) Harms, which grows only in Japan; and K. septemlobus (Thunb.) Koidz, which is spread over a significant range, encompassing, in addition to Japan, northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian Far East. In Russia it is found in the southern part of Primorye Territory, on the islands of Peter the Great Bay (e.g., Putyatin, Furugelm, Pelis, Popov, and Reineke), in extreme southwest Sakhalin, on Moneron Island, and in the southern Kuril Islands of Kunashir and Iturup. In the Kurils, the northern boundary of its range passes along Iturup, where it occurs chiefly on the Okhotsk coast. It grows either alone or in groups in broad-leaved and coniferous broad-leaved forests along margins, mountainous slopes and among open woodlands. In mountains it grows to elevations as high as 450 meters.

Kalopanax is a slender, little-branching tree with a well-formed crown. Under favorable conditions, it can become 20-20 m tall and over a meter in diameter. Young first-year shoots are olive-green, with numerous light lenticels. First-year wintered shoots are light gray, with clearly visible light-brown thorn bases and gray leaf scars (the sites of fallen leaf attachments), which encompass up to one-half of shoot circumference. The leaf scars clearly show 11-14 leaf traces (remains of conducting bundles) situated along the central line of the leaf scar. The bark of young trees is gray, finely wrinkled, and covered with a network of vertical light-brown vermiculations. The bark of old trees is dark-gray and deeply grooved. The shoots are covered with strong sharp thorns that are proportionately larger (up to 2 cm long) on young shoots and trees, and smaller (up to 0.5 cm) on ripe tree branches. Their bases are strongly enlarged, their distal tips often being bent upwards.

The buds are broad, lustrous, dark-brown or almost black, apical up to 1 cm and lateral to 1 mm long. The position of the leaves is alternate. The leaves are large, compact, green on top, lustrous, and lighter below, 8-30 cm long and 10-40 cm wide, more often than not forming seven lobes; palmatipartite leaves occur less often. The petioles are 50 cm long, green or greenish-brown, and widened at their base. The flowers are small, yellowish-white, regular, bisexual, and clustered in multifloral umbrellas, 3 cm in diameter to form, in turn, large (up to 30-60 cm long) umbrellate or scutellate inflorescences.

In Primorye, leaves begin to unfurl in mid-May and start yellowing in late August. It blooms in late July-August, and the fruits ripen in September-October. The fruits are spherical; the berry-like seeds are 4-5 mm in diameter.

Kalopanax possesses excellent decorative qualities, and is widely recommended for landscaping. It is a fairly good nectariferous plant (one hectare can yield as much as 100 kg of honey). In Japan, its young shoots and leaves were at one time used as food. In Japan and Korea, various parts of the plant are used in folk medicine. It is also widely known for its quality timber, which in Russia is called "white nut," and has been traditionally used for manufacturing plywood, furniture, parquet, and gun stocks.

In nature, Kalopanax is renewed with seeds. In culture, it is reproduced both with seeds and through vegetative multiplication. In the first case, seed stratification is required and involves the following conditions: two months at 18-20º and three months at 8-10º; this results in germination of 55% of the seeds. Vegetative multiplication may be performed by using root cuttings.

List of illustrations:

Fig. 2.1. Geographic distribution of Kalopanax septemlobus.

Fig. 2.2. Two forms of leaf blade in Kalopanax septemlobus.