Common name: Hawaiian Elf Schefflera, Arboricola Tree, Dwarf Umbrella Plant, Moondrop

Botanical name: Schefflera arboricola (syn. Heptapleurum arboricolum) - [ (shef-LER-uh) named for Jacob Christoph Scheffler, 18th century German botanist; (ar-bor-ee-KO-luh) meaning tree dweller ] Family: Araliaceae (aralia or ivy family) - [ (uh-RAY-lee-uh-see-ay) latinized form of old French-Canadian name for Aralie; the aralia family ]

Origin: Taiwan and Hainan

Schefflera arboricola (syn. Heptapleurum arboricolum) is a flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to Taiwan and Hainan. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 3-4 m tall, with weak, often trailing stems scrambling over other vegetation. The leaves are palmately compound, with 7-9 leaflets, the leaflets 9-20 cm long and 4-10 cm broad (though often smaller in cultivation). The flowers are produced in a 20 cm panicle of small umbels, each umbel 7-10 mm diameter with 5-10 flowers.

It is commonly grown as a houseplant, popular for its tolerance of neglect and poor growing conditions. Numerous cultivars have been selected for variations in leaf colour and pattern, often variegated with creamy-white to yellow edges or centres, and dwarf forms. It is also used for bonsai.

Courtesy: - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Top Tropicals - Dave's Garden - ZipCode Zoo