Eleutherococcus

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title: "Eleutherococcus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["eleutherococcus", "apiales-genera", "taxa-named-by-karl-maximovich"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/eleutherococcus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleutherococcus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

|image = Eleutherococcus gracilistylus BotGardBln1105 LeavesFallFruits.JPG |image_caption = Eleutherococcus gracilistylus |taxon = Eleutherococcus |authority = Maxim. |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = See text |synonyms = Acanthopanax (Decne. & Planch.) Miq.

Eleutherococcus is a genus of 38 species of thorny shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae. They are native to eastern Asia, from southeast Siberia and Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam.

Perhaps the best known in the West is the species E. senticosus used as herbal medicine, and commonly known by such English names as Eleuthero or Siberian ginseng. This is also reflected in its formerly used genus name Acanthopanax meaning "thorny ginseng". The word "Eleutherococcus," from Greek, means "free-berried."

The European Medicines Agency has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of Eleutherococcus for any clinical condition.

Naming

The Chinese materia medica in question But the plant now given the common name wujia in China is specifically E. gracilistylus, and according to one source, the genuine crude drug must come from this species, and C. spinosum is only a substitute.

The Japanese name ukogi borrows directly from the Chinese name, and refers somewhat broadly to several plants in the genus. A 10th century herbology text, Honzō wamyō (本草和名), introduced the Chinese wujia as an herb to be pronounced mu-ko-gi (牟古岐), refers specifically to E. sieboldianus (Japanese name: hime-ukogi). (See #Species list below).

The taxonomical nomenclature in the botanical science also has had a sinuous history, so that Acanthopanax had been used as the proper genus name in China till recent years, while the West adopted Eleutherococcus as the official name.

Several species are also grown as ornamental garden shrubs. In Japan, they have been planted as hedges. encouraged the planting of the ukogi as fencing around the homes of samurai retainers (E. sieboldianus was planted in the region), and the bitter young buds, leaves and stems have traditionally been picked and eaten as vegetable in the area. However, since the plant is deciduous, it requires sweeping in the fall (high maintenance), and the bare hedges fail to protect the homeowner's privacy.

Fossil record

The four earliest fossil species of Eleutherococcus are from the Maastrichtian (about 70 Ma) floras of Eisleben and Walbeck, Germany, the synonym Acanthopanax is used for these species †A. friedrichii, †A. gigantocarpus, †A. mansfeldensis and †A. obliquocostatus.The Timetree of Life edited by S. Blair Hedges and Sudhir Kumar, OUP Oxford, 23. apr. 2009 - 576 pages, , 9780191560156

Species

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Eleutherococcus_trifoliatus_1.jpg" caption="''Eleutherococcus trifoliatus''"] ::

• Eleutherococcus baoxinensis
• Eleutherococcus brachypus
• Eleutherococcus cissifolius
• Eleutherococcus cuspidatus
• Eleutherococcus divaricatus, Ja:keyama-ukogi, aka oni-ukogi. Found in central and southern Japan, Korean peninsula, and Chinese mainland, with many flowers arranged in conical inflorescence
• Eleutherococcus eleutheristylus
• Eleutherococcus giraldii
• Eleutherococcus gracilistylus
• Eleutherococcus henryi
• Eleutherococcus higoensis, Ja:higo-ukogi
• Eleutherococcus huangshanensis
• Eleutherococcus hypoleucus, Ja:urajiro-ukogi, growing in limestone soils in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
• Eleutherococcus japonicus, Ja:oka-ukogi, aka tsukushi-ukogi, maruba-ukogi. Grows in hilly terrain, of Kanto, Tokai, Kii Peninsula.
• Eleutherococcus lasiogyne
• Eleutherococcus leucorrhizus
• Eleutherococcus nanpingensis
• Eleutherococcus nikaianus, Ja:urage-ukogi, variety found in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu with yellow-green flowers and blackish-purple fruits.
• Eleutherococcus nodiflorus
• Eleutherococcus pilosulus
• Eleutherococcus pseudosetulosus
• Eleutherococcus pubescens
• Eleutherococcus rehderianus
• Eleutherococcus rufinervis
• Eleutherococcus scandens
• Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim., (エゾウコギ), species found in Hokkaido, with many white flowers in globular clusters;
• Eleutherococcus seoulensis
• Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus
• Eleutherococcus setchuensis
• Eleutherococcus setulosus
• Eleutherococcus sieboldianus (Makino) Koidz., Ja:hime-ukogi, native to China's mainland.
• Eleutherococcus simonii
• Eleutherococcus spinosus (L. f.) S.Y. Hu, Ja:yama-ukogi, growing widely in Honshu and Shikoku, with white flowers in globular inflorescence
• Eleutherococcus stenophyllus
• Eleutherococcus trichodon, Ja:miyama-ukogi, found widely in Honshu and Shikoku
• Eleutherococcus trifoliatus (L. f.) S.Y. Hu
• Eleutherococcus verticillatus
• Eleutherococcus wardii
• Eleutherococcus wilsonii
• Eleutherococcus xizangensis

Formerly under Acanthopanax

• Various Eleutherococcus spp.
• Acanthopanax ricinifolium → Kalopanax septemlobus (Harigiri)
• Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides, koshiabura (コシアブラ) → Chengiopanax sciadophylloides

References

References

1. {{Harvnb. Tumiłowicz. Banaszczak. 2006,p.40, citing Frodin, Govaerts 2003
2. Tumiłowicz. Banaszczak. 2006,p.40, citing Xiang, Lowry 2006
3. {{Harvnb. Foster. Yue
4. "Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know".
5. (2011). "Cochrane systematic reviews of Chinese herbal medicines: an overview". PLOS ONE.
6. {{Harvnb. Dai Nihon Nōkai. 1896p.9 ''Acanthopanax spinosum'', Miq., {{Nihongo. ''Ukogi''. ウコギ, 五加
7. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. (2008). "Reflection Paper on the Adaptogenic Concept". [[European Medicines Agency]].
8. (日本國語大辞典), 1976, [https://books.google.com/books?id=lbwYAQAAIAAJ snippet] quote:"果実は熟すと黑くなる,多く生垣に用い,若葉は食用とし、根の皮は五加皮(ごかひ)といい,滋養強壮剤として用いる。"
9. {{Harvnb. Yoshikawa. Ōhori. 2002; retrieved from [[:ja:ウコギ属]] version 2009年8月23日 (日) 13:10 R.Lucy (accessed April-2012)
10. Ogata. 2010(website)
11. 京都府レッドデータブック(Kyoto Prefecture Red Data Book). link. (2009)
12. 愛媛県レッドデータブック(Ehime Prefecture Red Data Book). link. (2009)
13. 鎌倉発 旬の花. link
14. 神戸・六甲山系の森林. link
15. {{GRIN. ''Eleutherococcus senticosus''. 15004
16. NAGY 植物図鑑. link
17. NAGY 植物図鑑. link
18. 日本の植物たち. link
19. {{Harvnb. Dai Nihon Nōkai. 1896, p.545 ''Acanthopanax ricinifolium'', Sieb. & Zacc., {{Nihongo. ''Harigiri''. ハリギリ, 刺楸

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