Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms, Araliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

High risk, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))
Reject, score: 14 (Go to the risk assessment (U.S. (Florida)))

Other Latin names:  Brassaia actinophylla Endlicher

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Australian umbrella tree, Queensland umbrella tree, ivy palm, octopus tree, starleaf, umbrella tree

French: arbre ombelle, arbre-pieuvre

Pohnpeian: tuhke kihs

Spanish: cheflera

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A megaphyllous tree to 6-9 m tall with ascending think branches marked by conspicuous leaf-scars, sometimes epiptic; leaves palmate, of 7-15, usually of 9 leaflets, main petioles 15-45 cm long, petiolules 2.5-8 cm long, leaflets mostly 10-20 cm long, elliptic-obovate, subacuminate, the central ones longest, all glabrous, dark green, coriaceous; flowers in small heads arranged more or less spicate-racemosely along stout elongate axces to 80 cm long, several of which radiate from a central hublike axis; flowers red; fruit 10-12-seeded, nutlets purple" (Stone, 1970; p. 458).

Habitat/ecology:  This fast-growing, evergreen tree with few branches reaches heights of 15 m. It is a shade tolerant plant capable of invading undisturbed forests.  It grows up to 1,000 m elevation in wet lowland habitats (C. W. Smith, 1985; pp. 186-187).  Forms dense thickets.  Seeds often germinate in the old leaf bases of palms or in the crotches of large trees, growing as epiphytes until roots reach the ground (Randall & Marinelli, 1996).  In Hawai‘i, naturalized in relatively low elevation, mesic, disturbed areas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 232).  In Fiji, "cultivated and also naturalized in secondary forest at low elevation"  (A. C. Smith, 1985; pp. 852-853). In New Caledonia, "assez commun dans les jardins, surtout à Nouméa" (MacKee, 1994; p. 19). "In coastal Queensland [where it is native] it thrives in moist areas or those receiving rainfall runoff, where it dominates native woodland and low forest by casting dense shade and dropping many persistent leathery leaves" (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 63).

Propagation:  Bird-dispersed fleshy fruits, cuttings. "The seeds are dispersed by birds and normally germinate on the soil surface.  The seeds may also germinate epiphytically, where the plant can grow rather like a strangling fig." (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 63).

Native range:  Australia, Aur Islands, New Guinea; widely grown as an ornamental.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 37) Uncommon.
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 89) "Potential invader"
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 90)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 71) Invasive species.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 652-653) Vouchers cited: DF 495 (Damanu 134), DA 11241, DA 16772
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 14503) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1969) (voucher ID: BISH 32901) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1969) (voucher ID: BISH 694449) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (pp. 44-45) Voucher cited: BRY 26471
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2682 (PAP) Naturalisée, menace pour la biodiversité.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 458)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 199)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 232)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 232)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 19) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H100634 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 232)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 5) Voucher cited: B.H. Gagne 3154 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 232)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 199)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 199)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 98)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 67)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (pp. 96-97) Voucher cited: Fosberg 58672 (US)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 19) Vouchers cited: Baumann 6817, MacKee 30282
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	eradicated invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 7, 82) Known examples have been eradicated.
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	eradicated	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 9)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 10)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 107)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 56) Bird Park
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Sand Island	introduced cultivated	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2008) (pp. B-13) Voucher cited: Starr & Starr 080601-14
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Palmyra Atoll	Palmyra Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 631640) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Palmyra Atoll	Palmyra Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 1000119) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Palmyra Atoll	Palmyra Atoll		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1995) (voucher ID: PTBG 37221) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Wake Islands	Wake Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (pp. 12, 31)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 77) Casual

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (pp. 63, 127)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2013) Naturalisée, potentiellement envahissant.
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced cultivated	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2013)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Very invasive in Hawai‘i. Invades disturbed forest in Micronesia and French Polynesia.

Planting of this species is prohibited in Miami-Dade County, Florida (U.S.) (Hunsberger, 2001).

Control: 

Physical: Pull seedlings and young saplings by hand. "Difficult to control mechanically because the roots break when being pulled"  (Englberger, 2009; p. 7).

Chemical:  "Only marginally susceptible to triclopyr and dicamba; somewhat tolerant of glyphosate applied to drilled holes in base.  Kline and Duquesnel reported that triclopyr applied basal bark or to cut surface was only moderately effective and that repeat treatments would be necessary.  However, basal bark applications or cut-stump applications of triclopyr have been recommended"  (Motooka et al., 2003).

Glyphosate (Roundup) or triclopyr (Garlon 4) can be used as foliar application on young seedlings.  For trees, cut notches into the cambium around the stem and apply undiluted herbicide"  (Englberger, 2009; p. 7).