An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade. It prefers a moderately fertile soil. The Jerusalem oak is occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there is at least one named variety, developed in the Netherlands. 'Green Magic' is a cultivar with a delicious nutty flavor. It can be harvested just 31 days after sowing. The dried flower spikes are aromatic and ornamental. The leaves emit an agreeable aromatic smell when they are handled.

Leaves - cooked. A popular vegetable (the report does not say where!). The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a meal and used with flour in making bread etc. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins. The leaves are a tea substitute.

Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.

Waste places, roadsides and disturbed soil in eastern N. America. Valleys, river terraces, around houses and roadsides in Tibet.