Plants ordered today will be shipped in Mid April 2023.
Eleuthero, Spineless (Eleutherococcus senticosus) potted shrub, organic
$31.00
Family: Â Ginseng (Araliaceae)
Hardy to Zones 3 to 9
(Ci-wu-jia, Siberian Ginseng) Woody perennial shrub with ginseng-like leaves and white flowers giving way to the blue-black fruits. Rare in cultivation. Native to North Korea, northern China and Siberia. The root and root bark are the parts used. Â Traditional usage: adaptogen. Â Source of eleutherosides. The plant will thrive in full sun and moist soil in the north, but prefers shade and moist soil in hotter, more southerly locations. Â Plant does well with standard garden soil and may be spaced 10 feet apart.
P.S. OK, it has been pointed out to me that these plants do have some spines. This is true, “spineless” in a relative sense. Spiny eleuthero is simply COVERED with really dangerous spines, while this cultivar may be expected to have none or few spines. Richo
Potted shrub, Certified Organically Grown
Only 6 left in stock
Question
ariel martian (verified owner) –
hi! i got one of these lovely plants from you a few months ago. i wasn’t sure where to put it, so opted for planting in a 3 gal. pot. it’s thriving and is now about 4′ tall, and i’m wondering if that’s a sign i ought to get it in the ground, or if i should wait till fall? lastly, is pruning recommended to induce branching out? it’s currently just one tall stem. thanks!!
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Richo Cech –
hello ariel, it really sounds like you’ve done the best thing for this plant. maybe don’t disturb or prune it, since its doing so well and actively growing. r
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Darla M (verified owner) –
Are the berries edible?
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Richo Cech –
hi darla, oh, this isn’t a food plant. it is grown as a rare shrub for the moist shade that makes medicinal roots. even the birds don’t much consume the fruits. r
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Tati (verified owner) –
This is a rare plant in cultivation, indeed.
It is also, highly medicinal ! From teas to balms to tinctures – I have had it for 2 years now. It blooms beautifully and the smell is soft and semi sweet. I am SO GRATEFUL for your hard work and for giving your customers an opportunity to grow wonderful and medicinal plants. Thank You ! Sincerely, Tati
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Sandi Arseth mpls, mn. (verified owner) –
Will be finally putting my siberian ginseng in the earth this week. They have been under basement grow lites for weeks and still are vibrant. They were packed perfectly, nothing moved in the shipping turmoil. Thanks to all your great staff for all the years i have purchased plants and seeds from you.
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Richo Cech –
hi sandi, good going! i guess you know that these do best in a part shade situation. richo
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Question
Jennie (verified owner) –
My plant arrived before last frost in zone 3 Vermont. Should I keep it inside until danger of frost has passed?
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Richo Cech –
hi jennie, yes, thanks for contacting, these are not cold acclimatized right now and should be kept indoors until all danger of frost is passed, then planted out to part shade. r
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Question
info57 –
Hi Richo,
We are going to have some Eleuthero shrubs sent to us in Vermont. We know they won’t ship until April, but when can we plant? Hope all is well.
Margrit
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Richo Cech –
ok, here’s how i would work with it. plants won’t arrive until after danger of frost. they are in 9 inch deep pots. they are shade/moisture lovers that will have had a long journey. i would unpack and replant to 3-gal size with rich potting soil, mulch, water, keep in shade. After a month or two I’d look to setting them to the landscape. either that or grow on potted for a year and then transplant, probably in the spring. r
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Question
Pam –
I live in Carmel midway between the coast and Carmel Valley. The planting zones around me go from 10a,8a,8b,9a,and 9b. It is hard to figure but my best guess is 9a or 9b. Do you think Eleuthero will do well here? It can be cool and we get some fog but mostly we are above it on a north facing hillside, that can also catch some sun.
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Richo Cech –
Hello Pam, What a nice photo, it seems I already know you–and I do know your area very well, having lectured in Carmel and worked all around Aptos, Big Sur, etc. etc. Well, the north exposure and fogs sound good. You need a niche in the moist shade and you’ll be fine. I get nothing but rave reviews about this plant, we will be listing it again in January. Richo
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Max –
How old are your ginseng plants?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Max,
I need to let you know that the Eleuthero are not currently available. You can hit “waitlist” and we’ll enable sales in January of 2022. These are not really ginseng, although they are in the ginseng family. The plants will be about 6 months old rooted cuttings when shipped. richo
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Pam Tate –
Do you ever get any Aralia Californica root or plant ? I would love to buy some from you. I have available a spot on a shady moist hillside that I think it would like. Let me know if this is something that you offer. Thank you.
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Richo Cech –
Hi Pam,
Yes, we’re well supplied with california spikenard (Aralia californica) plants. Hard for me to navigate you there from here, but you can paste this in a browser if you like https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product/spikenard-california-aralia-californica-potted-plant-organic/
or simply use the on-site search engine. Richo
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Question
Rhonda Lewis –
Will you be getting Any Siberian ginseng plants this year
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Richo Cech –
hi Rhonda,
Thank you for your interest in Eleuthero–what an amazing plant! We grow our own. People have been ordering these since Jan 1. We’ll see if there are any left over after shipping those out so please do hit “waitlist,” we’ll enable this when we can. Richo
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Richo Cech –
yes, please hit “waitlist”
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Margaret FitzGibbon (verified owner) –
Is Eluthero senticosus monecious or dioecious? I am seeing listed both ways online.
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Richo Cech –
only someone who has never grown the plant would say they are dioecious. The plant is self-fertile and the flowers are hermaphroditic. richo
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Question
Cynthia –
Hello,
Do you expect any more Eleuthero at some point ?
Thanks
Cynthia
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Richo Cech –
Hi Cynthia, I think the plants I grew this year barely managed to fulfill existing orders. If there are any left I’ll try to e-mail you, but do hit “waitlist.” The next big listing will be January 2022. Richo
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Angela Christensen –
I am on the waitlist also and would love some if any are available!
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Richo Cech –
Hello Angela, hitting waitlist is a worthy trick, we still have quite a few of these in stock, and have to catch our tail in terms of shipping before we can enable any remainders. r
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Question
Elisabeth Holmgren –
How would Siberian ginseng do in Alaska zone 4? Will it want full sun? Thanks!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Elisabeth, I would say the plant would do best under aspen or birch and near water. Richo
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Jeremy Lewis –
Hello Richo I was just wondering how I order this Eleuthero plant. Haven’t had very much success germinating seeds over the last 2 years. It says if ordered now it will ship the second week of May. Is there a way to place an order? Thank you very much!
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Richo Cech –
Hello Jeremy, Nice to hear from you. They are really hard to start from seeds. I tried to get more going from cuttings than were listed in January although the ones that were listed did sell out. The thing about the second week of May is currently on every plant regardless of stock status. I’ll try to e-mail you–please do hit waitlist. Richo
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Question
Erica Smith –
Hi. Will this grow is 7a? What conditions does it like?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Erica, Eleuthero will grow in your zone and likes moist shade. mine are blooming as we speak. richo
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morgaine (verified owner) –
are they frost resistant?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Morgaine,
Our eleuthero are currently frost tender because they are greenhoused, but eleuthero, once acclimatized, is extremely frost tolerant.
Richo
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Richo Cech –
Hi Morgaine,
Our eleuthero are greenhoused so it is not recommended to put them right out in frost. Once acclimatized, eleuthero is extremely frost and cold tolerant.
Richo
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Cindy –
Hi Ricoh,
We live in Colorado, super dry and 8700 feet. Do you think we could grow this in a greenhouse? Seems like all of the imported Siberian ginseng is ladened with many pesticides…..
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Richo Cech –
Hi Cindy, Colorado is a Zone 3 and spineless eleuthero is listed down to zone 3, so it should overwinter for you. These get pretty big for a greenhouse, you might want to try it outdoors. Right, high elevation and dry–provide wind protection and a sunny exposure, like up against the south side of the house. The watering requirements are moderate but they don’t do well if allowed to completely dry out. richo
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Question
keiko leonard –
I read the other reviews of people who planted this but didn’t see any in my zone 7. Which placement would suit this plant in zone 7? I have noticed in the past 4 or so years fluctuations in the seasons (temperatures, rainfall, etc) & so I would want to be careful where it is placed. I am organic & have been for 22 years on my property, use rainwater, compost. Thanks for info!
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Richo Cech –
Hello Keiko,
Thanks for getting in touch. The Eleuthero will want a shady spot in a Zone 7. Edge of woodland, north side of house, or edge of shade garden are suitable planting areas. Sounds like you have all the right elements there. Here on our farm we used to be a Zone 7 so most of our cultivation details are based on that. USDA has recently moved us up to a Zone 8 due to global warming and my Eleuthero are still very happy down in the woods or in the upland area at the edge of the shade garden. I suppose the trees get filtered sunlight and dappled sun for 6 hours or so a day. Please order soon, when the inventory runs down on these it means they are sold out and I won’t have them again until the next year.
Richo
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Sara McGuire –
Hey, fyi: I bought one of Richo’s Eleuthero shrubs a few years ago, and it’s THRIVING (well over 6 feet high) growing on the east side of a tool shed our our property on the Arkansas/Oklahoma border, zone 6. Hot, dry summers. Cold rain/sleet at other times of the year. Bedrock near the surface or just under a thin layer of soil in many areas. This year, the Eleuthero was blooming and we got a lot of berries. Many of my plant medicine friends want one. This plant is one tough cookie…
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Richo Cech –
hi sara, not to sound too woo woo or anything but i just came in from making eleuthero cuttings. Its been very cold, the trees have been very dormant, and its due to warm up in the next few days. gotta make cuttings prior to breaking bud. One thing that’s been fun and rewarding this year is finding windfall branches and making cuttings from them before they die. Feels a little like pulling the baby out of the fire. Richo
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Sara McGuire –
That’s a GREAT idea…! I’ve had a few little plants starting off of the main plant (spider plant style), but I haven’t tried this…TY!!!
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Question
Jay –
Have you started eleuthero from seed before? I tried last year with 6 mos. of warm stratification in my kitchen planted in flats, followed by a month of cold stratification in a well insulated cooler with ice packs. The flats did dry out periodically in warm strat., maybe this explains my lack of success? This year I would like to try keeping the seed unplanted but just in a bag indoors for the warm strat. Then, plant them in flats for the month of cold strat. What would you suggest as to growing from seed?
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Admin Richo Cech –
Hi Jay,
Yes, that is how I got both cultivars (spiny and spineless) going in the first place. I find that they are standard overwintering germinators. Outdoor flats in the shade, well-screened, work best.
Richo
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Question
Gwyn (verified owner) –
Thank you so much for Eleuthero! I love it! Mine has a few spines. I have a pruning question…when it was a tiny baby it had an upright stalk that didn’t survive but a side stalk did! I waited to see if more shoots would come, but it stayed as one branch angled right from the base. The plant is healthy and has a small flower, and now I am wondering if I should prune it to be more upright, how much to prune, and when is a good time? Thank you!
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Admin Richo Cech –
Hi Gwyn,
“Spineless” eleuthero does have some spines. Its a relative thing. Spiny eleuthero bristles with spines. Normally the live bush is not pruned but allowed to take a natural shape. Prune dead wood out. If you want to train the plant to a more upright position, then stake it.
Richo
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Question
Jenifer Bliss –
how tall do Eluthros get? And how long before you are able to harvest bark? Thinking of growing some… when you have them again.
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Admin Richo Cech –
Yes, nice, we would have these again in the spring for spring planting. They get about 12 feet tall. The root bark may be harvested after 3 years.
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Question
Chris Cincotta –
Are these grown from seed? If not, are both male and female plants available? Are both required for fruit?
Thanks!
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Admin Richo Cech –
Eleuthero is monoecious, meaning both male and female parts are on the same plant. These are cuttings from my mature trees. Once they size up, yes, they readily fruit.
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Question
Dina Falconi –
How does the spineless Eleutherococcus senticosus you offer differ from the spiny version? They have the same scientific name; so is the one you offer a cultivar? Do the spiny and spineless have the same medicinal value? Thanks! Dina
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Admin Richo Cech –
Hello Dina,
Thanks for the good questions. There is variability in Eleutherococcus senticosus–some ecotypes are very spiny, others less spiny. We have concentrated on the less spiny type because it is less dangerous to the touch. However, be careful, an occasional spine does occur! We tested the spineless type against the spiny type (HPTLC) and found that both contained the eleutherosides a and b. Best regards, richo
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Question
Valentina Arias –
When will you have this in stock again?
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Diana –
In the spring.
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Eleutherococcus senticosus (spineless)
Vicki Fisher –
This is my plant from Strictly Medicinal. This is her 3rd spring (and I moved her last spring end of May!! from NY to PA) She threw a thorned branch last year but it withered and died. She is around four and half feet high and I intend to start pruning her height at this point. She is in part-shade, zone 5.
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Raymond (verified owner) –
You guys are amazing! Not only is Strictly Medicinal the only supplier of this plant, the quality, care and love put into the plants is superb. The plant I received is doing wonderfully now and arrived in prime condition. For any plant enthusiast, preservationists or green thumbs alike, this is the place for everything from the rare, the niche, the sacred and the delicious.
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Irmgard Tank (verified owner) –
As a long-time customer of Strictly Medicinal (even when it still was Horizon Herbs) and I have never been disappointed! The quality of the plants clearly shows the care and feed they receive during their cultivation. The shipping has always been impeccable. Yesterday I received another 10 potted plants and not even a single leaf of any of those plants got damaged! The people at Strictly Medicinal are experts, they package the plants such that they will withstand the journey and will arrive happy to grow in a new environment.
I can only hope and wish that they will continue to do well and be able to provide us with unusual medicinal herbs that we can grow and turn into medicines…. I agree with Margaret above – there simply is no other medicinal herb, seed and plant provider who comes even close to the variety of plants offered here.
Thank you Richo and family for everything you do – we do appreciate it! đŸ™‚
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Margaret FitzGibbon (verified owner) –
My Eleutherococcus senticosus plants arrived today (I’m clear across the country in NY state) and they were beautifully packed and arrived in wonderful condition. I’m thrilled with them.
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Margaret FitzGibbon –
You are the only place I have found that carries Eleutherococcus senticosus. Thank you!
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Tony and Rachel Wood (verified owner) –
I also received my plant today and as always everything is beautiful and ready to plant. This is the number one garden place in the world!! Cool folks, cool plants!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Tony and Rachel,
Thank you so much for taking the time to acknowledge our efforts. The eleuthero are indeed my babies, and I start working with them in October to ship in the spring. With a plant like this, the medicine is obvious–plant vigor, human vigor, same-same.
Richo
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