Koakaso. This Asian perennial makes a many-stemmed clump which will reach 3-4' with "spiky" pink racemes from the axils of its leaves from July into fall. It is reported that its foliage is quite edible: "The young leaves of koakaso make a decent salad green with a mild flavor that allows for their use as a bulk ingredient. Young, tender, light green leaves growing in shade are best." If new growth is desired, one can coppice the plant to induce fresh new growth. We are adding the cultivar name 'Chantilly' to our selection, since it was found on the internet in France. It is a dioecious species, meaning plants are either male or female, so this selection will not reseed in the landscape. But we have had a customer have a few seedlings come up under their plant, but they are also variegated. Also, this particular selection has specks of white scattered in its new leaves, giving it a little more interest. Archaeologists have found that this was an ancient "fiber" plant used to weave fabric to make clothing, rope and paper in the Japanese archipelago. It is native to China, Japan and Korea. Although it is in the Nettle family, plants in this genus do not have stinging hairs. It grows well in filtered sun, but we have grown it in full sun if adequate moisture is available. A gardening customer has reported that their 7°F winter did not kill their plant all the way back.
Zones 4-9
