Udo

noun

1. A perennial plant (Aralia cordata) native to East Asia, having bipinnately compound leaves and young shoots that are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
2. An ornamental plant, Aralia cordata, cultivated in Japan and China as a vegetable. The edible portions of the plant are its young shoots, which are blanched by being covered with earth. In the winter the crisp, white stems are used for salad like celery.