Japanese name: フカノキ Scientific name:Schefflera heptaphylla
[Overview]
An evergreen tree 6–10 m tall, growing in slightly moist evergreen broadleaf forests in lowlands near the coast.
It is said to sometimes reach 15 m in height and 1 m in trunk diameter.
Young branches are densely covered with fine, pale brown stellate hairs, which later disappear.
The leaves are alternate, with leaf stalks 10–30 cm long, and bear 6–11 leaflets arranged palmately.
The terminal leaflet is narrowly oblong to obovate-oblong, about 7–20 cm long and 4–7 cm wide, with a sharply pointed tip; it is dark green and glossy, and the leaflet stalk is 1–5 cm long.
The leaf margins are entire, but young trees often have serrations or notches.
The flowers are small, greenish white and 5-petaled, borne in large numbers in corymb-like panicles at the branch tips.
The fruit is spherical and ripens blackish brown.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or layering; propagation from seed is also possible.
It prefers sun to partial shade and fertile, well-drained soil.
It is also shade tolerant.
For potted plants, water thoroughly after the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Scale insects can occur.
