Ashitaba
Angelica keiskei
Also listed as Angelica utilis, Archangelica keiskei
Climate Match for your location
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Ashitaba is a Japanese medicinal herb prized for its bright yellow latex sap and tender, edible leaves with a celery-like flavor. It thrives in cool, shaded woodland conditions and produces umbel clusters of small yellowish flowers.
Why grow it
Ashitaba occupies a niche among perennial leafy herbs for temperate woodland gardens, offering earlier spring growth than many native alternatives in shaded sites. Unlike celery or lovage, it tolerates deeper shade and prefers consistently moist soil, making it suitable for damper woodland edges where other culinary umbellifers struggle. The edible leaves provide a mild celery-like addition to salads and cooking across multiple seasons, while the characteristic yellow sap offers visual and phytochemical interest absent in common temperate herbs.
Watch out for
Ashitaba can take two to three seasons to establish and produce harvestable foliage in cool climates, requiring patience before reliable yields. The plant prefers cool growing conditions and may decline or bolt prematurely in areas with warm summers or inconsistent moisture. Slugs and snails are attracted to the tender foliage in moist woodland settings, necessitating monitoring in high-pressure pest environments.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Apiaceae
Native Range
Japan
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
Ashitaba is a Japanese medicinal herb prized for its bright yellow latex sap and tender, edible leaves with a celery-like flavor. It thrives in cool, shaded woodland conditions and produces umbel clusters of small yellowish flowers.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Ashitaba grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Ashitaba occupies a niche among perennial leafy herbs for temperate woodland gardens, offering earlier spring growth than many native alternatives in shaded sites. Unlike celery or lovage, it tolerates deeper shade and prefers consistently moist soil, making it suitable for damper woodland edges where other culinary umbellifers struggle. The edible leaves provide a mild celery-like addition to salads and cooking across multiple seasons, while the characteristic yellow sap offers visual and phytochemical interest absent in common temperate herbs.
Watch out for
Ashitaba can take two to three seasons to establish and produce harvestable foliage in cool climates, requiring patience before reliable yields. The plant prefers cool growing conditions and may decline or bolt prematurely in areas with warm summers or inconsistent moisture. Slugs and snails are attracted to the tender foliage in moist woodland settings, necessitating monitoring in high-pressure pest environments.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Apiaceae
Native Range
Japan
Seasonality
Bloom Season
Harvest Season
Edible Parts
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Years to Bearing
- Propagation
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