Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodin, Araliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Heptapleurum octophyllum (Lour.) Benth. ex Hance; Paratropia cantoniensis Hook. & Arn.; Schefflera atrifoliata R.H. Miao; Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms; Schefflera rubriflora C.J. Tseng & C. Ho; Vitis heptaphylla L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: e zhang chai

Japanese: fuka-no-ki

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees, to 15 m tall, andromonoecious. Petiole (5-) 10-30 cm; petiolules 1.5-5 cm; leaflets 6-9 (-11), elliptic to oblong-elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 7-18 x 3-5 cm, papery to leathery, densely stellate pubescent when young, glabrescent except on midvein and in axils of veins, secondary veins 7-10 pairs, tertiary veins inconspicuous, base attenuate or cuneate to obtuse or rounded, margin entire, often serrate or pinnately lobed on young plants, apex abruptly acute to acuminate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of umbels, densely stellate tomentose, glabrescent; primary axis to 35 cm; secondary axes 25 (-35) cm, with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and several to many lateral umbels of bisexual or more often male flowers, usually also with 1 to several bisexual flowers borne just below apical umbel; pedicels 4-5 mm. Calyx pubescent at first, entire or 5- or 6-toothed. Ovary 5-9 (or 10)-carpellate; styles united into a thick column less than 1.5 mm. Fruit globose, ca. 5 mm in diameter, inconspicuously angled when dry; styles persistent, to ca. 1.5 mm"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In China (native), "evergreen broad-leaved forests on mountain slopes; 100-2100 m"  (Flora of China online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "India, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam"  (Flora of China online).

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	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2013) Voucher cited: Herbst 9604 (BISH) "This species escapes all over the garden and is becoming weedy".
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (pp. 28-29) Vouchers cited: D. Herbst 9604 (BISH), C. Daehler 1202 (BISH), OED 2011102701 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 627916) Taxon name on voucher: Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodin

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	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Schefflera heptaphylla, please let us know.