Japanese name: ホンコンカポック Scientific name:Schefflera arboricola ‘Hong Kong’
[Overview]
A cultivar of Yadori-fukanoki, an evergreen shrub 3–5 m tall.
It branches well; the branches are green at first and later turn grayish brown.
The leaves are alternate with long petioles, and 7–9 leaflets are borne in a palmate arrangement.
The leaflets are 5–10 cm long and about 2 cm wide, leathery, glossy, and dark green.
Many flowers are borne in panicles 20–30 cm long at the branch tips.
The buds are dark red, but the flowers are cream-colored.
The fruit is globose and ripens yellow.
Compared with Yadori-fukanoki, the petioles are thicker and shorter, and the leaflets are fleshy and rounded.
The whole plant is also sturdy.
As a foliage plant, many of those on the market are trained into a shrub form.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or air layering, although seed is also possible.
It is strongly cold-hardy and withstands temperatures of about 0 degrees.
It is also drought-tolerant and shade-tolerant.
It sprouts vigorously and therefore tolerates heavy pruning.
The branches are soft and bend easily unless supported with a stake.
