Japanese Aralia
Fatsia japonica · Paperplant
It grows in the cool, shaded woodland of coastal Japan and Korea, an evergreen shrub with huge glossy hand-shaped leaves. It gives a jungle look without the jungle: it tolerates deep shade, cool rooms and even frost outdoors, and it is fully pet-safe.
Family
Araliaceae
Origin
Japan and Korea
In the wild
Coastal woodland
Indoors
1–2 m
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Non-toxic
Where it's from
Southern Japan and southern Korea
Coastal forest margins
Understory and edge plant of warm-temperate coastal woodland in southern Japan and Korea.
Outdoors: zones 8–10
Hardy to roughly minus 10 to minus 15°C. Foliage can be frost-damaged but the plant recovers.
Naturalised in New Zealand
So vigorous it has escaped gardens into waste ground there. Secure at home, spreading where introduced.
It married an ivy
Few houseplants are fertile enough to cross genus lines. Bred at the Lize Freres nursery in Nantes, France in 1912, the cross of Japanese aralia and ivy produced x Fatshedera lizei, the "tree ivy", a lasting hybrid genus still sold today. The common name "Japanese aralia" is itself a fossil: the plant was reclassified out of the genus Aralia long ago.
Tree ivy, 1912
The aralia and ivy cross created x Fatshedera lizei, an intergeneric hybrid still in the trade.
The name lies
It is no longer a true Aralia. The family Araliaceae stayed put while the genus changed.
Eight fingers
In Japan it is yatsude, eight fingers, for its roughly eight broad leaf lobes.
How to keep it
LightPart to deep shade
Bright indirect indoors. Prolonged direct summer sun scorches and yellows the leaves.
WaterRegular in growth
Water regularly in the growing season, then reduce sharply from autumn to late winter. Wet soil rots the roots.
HumidityModerate to highTolerates average rooms, but dry air can brown the leaf edges.
Temperature16–21°CLikes cool conditions and dislikes hot stuffy rooms. Hardy outdoors to about minus 10 to minus 15°C.
SoilHumus-rich, well-drainedFertile and free-draining. It tolerates a range of soils, including some dry shade.
FeedingMonthly in growthFeed through the growing season, little to none in winter.
DifficultyEasyForgiving and undemanding, especially in cool shaded spots.
With petsNon-toxicListed non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The sap can irritate sensitive skin, so wear gloves when pruning.
PropagationCuttings or seedStem or semi-ripe cuttings, air-layering, or seed. It crosses readily, even across genus lines.
RepottingEvery 1–2 yearsWhen pot-bound, in spring. It can be pruned hard to control size.
What the data says
What it costs
Plain green plants are a common, inexpensive garden-centre shrub. Variegated forms carry a premium.
$15–45
Speckled and variegated cultivars like Spider's Web and Variegata run $40 to $120 or more, higher for well-marked specimens.
IUCN · Not assessed
In the wild
The reverse of the usual conservation tension: vigorous and secure, not threatened.
Not assessed on the IUCN Red List, with no widely reported major threats. It is abundant in cultivation and naturalises easily, even escaping gardens into waste ground in places like New Zealand. Ubiquitous on the shelf, secure in its native range.
When it sulks
Scorched, yellowed leavesToo much direct sun, or cold drafts.
Brown leaf edges and tipsDry air, underwatering, or a hot room.
Yellowing with a mushy baseRoot rot from overwatering or poorly drained soil.
Leggy, sparse growthToo little light. Pinch or prune to bush it out.
PestsAphids, mealybugs, scale, thrips and spider mites, especially in warm dry indoor air.
Varieties & company
The varieties
VariegataSpider's WebAnneliseCamouflagex Fatshedera lizei
Pairs with · keep apart from
FernsPeace LilyCalatheaCactiSucculentsEcheveria
A new plant, every week.
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