Succeeds in most soils, preferring a calcareous soil. Prefers a sunny position. The ssp. A. pilosa japonica. (Miq.)Nakai. is used medicinally in China.

Young leaves - cooked. Seed - dried and ground into a meal. Mixed with noodles.

Seed - can be sown in spring or autumn, either in pots in a cold frame or in situ. It usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 13°c, though germination rates can be low, especially if the seed has been stored. A period of cold stratification helps but is not essential. When grown in pots, prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division in autumn. Very easy, the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.

Meadows and roadsides in lowland and mountains all over Japan. Forest undergrowth and shady places by the sides of roads at elevations of 1000 - 3000 metres in Nepal.