Schefflera arboricola (Hayata) Merr., Araliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Heptapleurum arboricola Hayata

Common name(s): [more details]

English: dwarf schefflera, dwarf umbrella tree, Hawaiian elf schefflera, miniature schefflera

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "A shrub, sometimes scandent, to 3-4 m high.  Leaves 7-9-foliate, long-petiolate, leaflets petiolulate, coriaceous, about 9 cm long and 4 cm broad, obtuse to acute, sometimes emarginate, the base obtuse, the margins entire, glabrous, the lateral veins of 5-6 pairs; petiolules 2-4 mm long; petioles slender, 12-15 cm long.  Inflorescence a terminal panicle, glabrescent, about 20 cm long, the flowers in racemosely arranged umbels, 0.7-1 cm across, 5-10 flowered; pedicels 5-8 mm long.  Fruit ovoid, glandular-punctate when young, about 5 mm long and 4 mm broad, 5-angular, the disc conical, about the length of the fruit"  (Li et al., 1963; pp. 670-671).

Habitat/ecology:  In Taiwan, "in forests from low to high altitudes throughout the island" (Li et al., 1963; pp. 670-671).

Propagation:  Bird-dispersed fruits.

Native range:  China and Taiwan (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. (2000) (p. 17)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2003) (pp. 24-25) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Starr & Martz 001128-3 (BISH)
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)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 82)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 68)
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka and Foa Islands	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 74)
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 56)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 68)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Schefflera arboricola is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Schefflera arboricola may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Li, Hui-lin. 1963. Woody flora of Taiwan. Morris Arboretum and Livingston Pub. Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Li, Hui-lin/Liu, Tang-shui/Huang, Tseng-chieng/Koyama, Tetsuo/DeVol, Charles E., eds. 1977. Flora of Taiwan, Volume 3. Epoch Pub. Co., Taipei. 1000 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2003. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 74:23-34.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.