"Yama-ukogi" (Eleutherococcus spinosus) belongs to Araliaceae (the Ginseng family). It is a deciduous small tree that is distributed southward from southwestern Hokkaido to Honshu in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and China. This tree grows in fields and mountainous areas and can reach about 3 m in height. The branches have spines, and the leaves are palmately compound and alternate. Small yellowish-green flowers bloom on the spherical umbels in May. The fruits ripen black in fall. The leaf buds are used as a wild vegetable in Japan. (edit by Greg Brockelbank)
In Chinese, it is called "細柱五加" (xi zhu wu jia).