Schefflera actinophylla - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

Meet the Plants

Home

Photo Gallery

Choose A Plant

Permission to Use Photos

Links

Kids' Corner!

Currently Viewing: Schefflera actinophylla

Schefflera actinophylla - red flower spikes

P. Goltra

Other Resources for Schefflera actinophylla

(herbarium sheet)

crown (photo)

Taxonomy:

Schefflera actinophylla (Araliaceae)

Alternative Botanical Name:
Brassaia actinophylla

Common Names:
Octopus Tree
Umbrella Tree
Ivy Palm

Classification:

Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) H.A.T. Harms
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae-Ginseng family
Genus: Schefflera J.R. & G. Forst.- Schefflera
Species: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) H.A.T. Harms- Octopus Tree
(National Plant Dtabse. 2004.)
Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)

Description:

Umbrella tree has woody stems that can grow from 6 to 9 meters long. The leaves are bright green in color growing from 6 to 12 mm long. The flowers are pink in color, arm-like figures that resemble an octopus.

The fruit is a fleshy drupe, 3-12 cm big with hard-coated seeds in groups of ten.
(Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition.)

Geographic Distribution:

Native to Australia, New Guinea and Java, the Umbrella Tree, Schefflera actinophylla, is very common in South Florida and the warmer parts of Central Florida. Schefflera is also seen indoors as a houseplant all over the world.

(Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition.)

Status:

The Octopus tree is an introduced, highly invasive species in Hawaii. This plant or tree is usually found at low to middle elevations on Kaua'i, Maui, O'ahu, and Hawai'i.

(NTBG. 2003. Internal Notes.)

Species Interconnections and Interdependencies:

Birds and insects such as bees and flies are the pollinators of Umbrella tree.
(NTBG. 2003. Internal Notes.)

Indigenous Practices:

In Hawaii only the tree's flowers are used for decoration and lei making.

Share This Page | Back to top

Choose a Plant

Users of this search feature should note that common names are often used for more than one plant species.
When searching for common names in the Hawaiian language, the name may include okina, each instance represented by an apostrophe (') or glottal stop (`).