Japanese Spikenard

Common Name: Japanese Spikenard

Scientific Name: Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’

Origin: Japan, Korea, Eastern and Southern China

Family: Araliaceae

Bloom time: Summer - Fall

At home in the forests and on grassy slopes in Japan, Korea and parts of China, this cultivar of Japanese Spikenard is particularly striking thanks to its golden foliage, which stands out brightly in the shade of Storza Woods. Compound leaves on a single stalk rise from the forest floor in the spring, growing 3- to 6-feet tall. White, spiky flowers follow in late summer to early fall.