Schefflera elegantissima
False aralia, Petit boux caledonien, Elegant schefflera, Ivy tree
Also known as Aralia elegantissima, Dizygotheca elegantissima, Aralia lanceolata
- Height × spread
- 5m × 3m
- Position
- Part shade
- Hardiness
- Heated greenhouse 10C & above (RHS H1b)
Availability
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Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This makes a large shrub, and can even be a small tree. In the UK it is generally grown in a container and this limits its size. It is an interesting and distinctive plant with few branches and long slender leaves that have notched or bumpy edges, that may be as much as 20 centimetres in length but less than a centimetre wide. They are coloured a very dark green and brown-green on the underside. The leaf midrib is whiteish. When the tree matures the leaves become broader, but this is unlikely to happen under domestic conditions. In autumn it may develop a flowering panicle of greeny flowers, followed by round black fruits. It can be put outside for the summer and brought into a frost free environment for the winter. If grown as a houseplant it can be difficult to grow well as it requires high humidity and prefers a minimum temperature of 15C, though it can survive up to ten degrees lower. Give it bright indirect light, water regularly but do not allow it to become waterlogged. Feed every fortnight from spring to the end of summer with a fertiliser for foliage plants and spray the leaves as much as possible.
- Flower colour
- Green
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Black
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 5m
- Spread
- 3m
- Height in 10 years
- 2m
- Spread in 10 years
- 1.5m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Indoors, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes part shade, tolerates light shade
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Heated greenhouse 10C & above (RHS H1b)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Indoor light
- A light position not direct sun
- Indoor temperature
- 13C minimum temperature
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- Yes, potentially harmful; Humans: Skin allergen
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Indoors
Feed with houseplant food monthly
Give the plant a balanced houseplant feed monthly while in growth.
Where food elements are listed as three numeric values on the label representing in order Nitrogen(N)-Phosphorus(P)-Potassium(K), with percentage values for each, choose one where the values are more or less equal.
Spring-Autumn · Indoors
Water to keep the soil moist
Water moderately from the period when growth starts (around April) until the early autumn (September).
Winter
Winter-Spring · Indoors
Water lightly in winter
The soil should remain just moist during the cold months when the plant is not in growth. Trickle a little water onto the soil surface every couple of weeks if the soil is dry. Do nothing if it is moist.
The roots remain active in winter and benefit from small amounts of moisture so they don't become completely desiccated.
Planting & general
Compost · Planting
Loam based houseplant compost for repotting
Buy container or house plant compost that is loam based if possible (i.e. is based on John Innes compost number 2 or 3. This contains more fertiliser and is better suited to established plants.
John Innes no. 1 has the lowest level of fertiliser and is used for seedlings and young plants, so is generally used where plants will be 'potted on' after a number of weeks.
Indoor temperature · Planting
13C minimum temperature
This plant requires a minimum temperature of 13 Centigrade.
Indoor plant · Planting
Position in indirect light indoors
Give the plant a position that is cool and light, and away from direct sunshine.
Found in
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