| Description | Umbrella Plant (Schefflera actinophylla) is a medium to large indoor plant that tolerates lower light conditions but grows best in bright light. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (shef-LER-uh) |
| Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 10 |
| Sunlight | Although this plant will tolerate low light, it prefers bright light. In the dim light, it will become leggy and hold onto less foliage. In zone #5, where I live, it can tolerate the brightest light you can give it when growing indoors. Maybe except for the direct south to the southwest window with no overhang. |
| Moisture | evenly moist to slightly on the dry side. |
| Growing Media | average house |
| Temperature | average house |
| Fruit | arching racemes with thousands of red flowers probably will never flower when grown as an indoor plant |
| Leaves | large green, palmate compound leaves on a long petiole that looks like an umbrella; each leaflet has a drip tip |
| Stems | this is a true tree and the stem will become woody |
| Dimensions | It can reach 20-40 feet in the perfect growing conditions, but stays much smaller when grown indoors. |
| Maintenance | needs pruning to shape the plant, will tend to stretch especially in indoor culture, can be pruned very hard, hard pruning is best done in the spring when the plant will start actively growing |
| Propagation | cuttings and air layering, fresh seed ( seed quickly loses its viability) |
| Native Site | Queensland, Java, New Guinea |
| Cultivar Origin | The genus is named in honor of Jacob Christian Scheffler, an 18th-century German botanist |
| Misc Facts | Considered an invasive plant in many tropical areas of the world. Actinophylla means "with radiating leaves. AKA: Australia umbrella tree, Queensland umbrella tree, octopus tree, amate SYN: Brassaia actinophylla, Heptapleurum actinophyllum |
| Author's Notes | I live in hardiness zone #5 and have found that this plant will take all the light you can give it when growing indoors. If possible, move the plant outdoors during the warmer months in bright sunlight. It is incredible how much they will grow. |
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