| Description | Dwarf Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola) A relatively easy plant to grow for the moderate to bright areas of the house. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | tropical |
| Sunlight | bright to moderate |
| Moisture | It can with stand some dryness but prefers evenly moist. |
| Growing Media | average house |
| Temperature | average house to average house plus |
| Flowers | In nature it produces small red flowers on foot long panicles. |
| Fruit | Produces red fruit when ripened. The birds eat this fruit and disperse the seed causing it to become a Pacific Island Ecosystem Risk (PIER) |
| Leaves | Dark green palmately compound leaves on long petioles. |
| Dimensions | In the wild it can reach 15-20 feet tall. Much smaller when grown indoors. Can be easily kept in a 8-10" pot for many years. |
| 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 | seeds, cuttings, air layering |
| Native Site | Native to India to Malay Peninsula, Philippine Islands, Australia and Hawaii. |
| Cultivar Origin | Named in honor of Samuel von Brassai a 19th century Hungarian Botanist. |
| Misc Facts | SYN. Scheffellera arboricola , Heptapleurum arboricola, AKA: Schefflera, umbrella plant, dwarf umbrella tree, Australian ivy palm, octopus tree, starleaf |
| Author's Notes | I have grown this plant for many years and have found it much easier to grow than the larger Umbrella plant (Schefellera actinophylla). I live in hardiness zone #5 and have found that this plant will take all the light you can give it when growing indoors (except for maybe a bit picture window facing south, If possible move the plant outdoors during the warmer months in bright light. It is amazing how much they will grow. |
Cart
