Japanese name: シェフレラ アクティノフィラ Scientific name:Schefflera actinophylla
[Overview]
An evergreen small tree to tree, growing to 12 m tall.
The leaves are alternate and palmately compound, consisting of 7–16 leaflets.
The leaflets are elliptic, about 30 cm long, leathery and glossy, with entire margins or sparse teeth.
Many flowers are borne in racemes radiating from the branch tips, and are usually dark red.
The fruit is spherical and ripens to blackish purple.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or layering.
It is very cold hardy and tolerates temperatures of about 0°C.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained soil.
It tolerates shade, but if the site is too dark the leaves turn yellow and fall.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter keep it on the dry side.
Low air humidity makes spider mites likely, so it is good to mist the leaves from time to time.
From spring to autumn, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil, or give liquid fertilizer once a month.
Pests include scale insects and spider mites.
[Notes]
The alternative name Octopus Tree compares the inflorescence to octopus legs, and Brassaia is a former genus name.
