Beneath the extensive branch framework of Kalopanax septemlobus lays a carpet of fallen fruit. Further from the canopy edge are seedlings that have germinated from viable seed that may have been eaten and then regurgitated through a birds gut. With the mild weather to date this winter the seedlings have retained their leaves, the parent plant fully deciduous.

Notable for their intensely spiny stem and multi lobed leaf each lobe of triangular shape.

Native to temperate Asia where it is found in forests from sea level to 2500m. Initially fast growing making a wide spreading crown, the large leaves react rapidly to water stress by drooping down reducing the surface area exposed to the sun.