Japanese name: シェフレラ エレガンティッシマ Scientific name:Schefflera elegantissima
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub to tree 8–15 m tall.
The stems, leaf stalks, and the main veins on the underside of the leaflets have cream-colored spots.
The leaves are alternate and palmately compound, with 7–11 leaflets.
The leaflets are lanceolate, 10–20 cm long, glossy, and deep green often tinged with reddish brown, with wavy, notched margins.
On large plants the leaves become broader.
The leaf stalks are long.
The flowers are borne in large numbers in umbels at the branch tips; they are small, yellowish-green, and 5-petaled.
The fruit is round and ripens black.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
Ideally, keep it at 10°C or higher over winter.
It prefers sun to partial shade and fertile, well-drained soil.
It also tolerates shade.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter, keep it on the dry side.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Large leaves emerge as the branches grow, so cut back branches that have grown too long.
Scale insects can occur.
