Looking at Plants

Schefflera elegantissima

COMMON NAMES

False Aralia, Threadleaf Aralia, Spider Aralia

Schefflera (shef-LEER-uh) - named for J.C. Scheffler, 19th century German botanist

elegantissima (el-eh-gan-TISS-ih-ma) - most elegant, beautiful

OTHER NAMES / SYNONYMS

Dizygotheca elegantissima, Aralia elegantissima

GROUP 

Dicot

FAMILY 

Araliaceae

ORIGIN

New Caledonia

DESCRIPTION

False Aralia is an evergreen shrub/tree that averages 15 to 20 feet in height with a 5 to 10 foot spread – though it’s reported to get much larger in the wild. It’s upright with a slightly rounded crown and usually multi-trunked. It can be trained as a small tree. It has a moderate growth rate.

Leaves are evergreen, palmately compound with 7 to 9 leaflets, lobed to serrately margined, and spiral to alternate in arrangement. The young foliage is more lacy and slender and the older foliage is thicker and broader. It is dark green to almost purplish above and a copper color below.

The greenish-yellow to white flowers are borne in umbels. It blooms in the summer, but the blooms are not commonly seen in cultivation.

Fruit are small, brown to black, round, and fleshy, but are rarely seen in cultivation.

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11

LIGHT

Full sun, partial shade, and even deeper shade. The best growth is in light shade.

SALT

Poor Salt Spray Tolerance – it’s risky for this plant to be put in a coastal area as it has minimal tolerance. It would require multiple layers of protection such as in a greenhouse, indoors, or in a small enclosed area such as a courtyard beyond the dunes.

SOIL

It will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils in the pH range of 6.5 to 7.5.

WATERING

It has good drought tolerance once established, so minimal watering is needed for survival in dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.

PROPAGATION

Cuttings, seed, air layering

FERTILIZING

It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work.

PESTS

Boisduval Scale - University of Florida

Lobate Lac Scale - University of Florida

Root Knot Nematodes - Missouri Botanical Gardens

Citrus Whitefly - University of Florida

Chilli Thrips - University of Florida

Rugose Spiraling Whitefly - University of Florida

False Spider Mite - Brevipalpus californicus - University of Florida

Red Wax Scale - University of Florida

Mealybugs - University of California

DISEASES

Anthracnose - University of California

DEER

Resistant

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.

OTHER

USES

Containers – indoors and out; shade gardens; background plant; accent plant; tropical effect; specimen plant

TOXICITY

California Poison Control lists Dizygotheca elegantissima as non-toxic.

ASPCA lists Dizygotheca elegantissima as non-toxic to dogs and cats.