It is native to northeastern Asia, from Sakhalin and Japan west to southwestern China.

It is called cìqiū (刺楸) in Chinese, eumnamu (음나무) in Korean, and harigiri (ハリギリ; 針桐) in Japanese.

The tree has been found growing wild in several US states, including New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maryland.

It is viewed with concern by the US National Park Service[3] and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

[4] In Korea, young shoots, called eumnamu-sun, are often eaten as sukhoe (blanched dish).