FATSIA

also called Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica), evergreen shrub or small tree, in the ginseng family (Araliaceae), native to Japan but widely grown indoors for its striking foliage and easy care. In nature it can attain a height to 5 metres (16 feet); the glossy, dark-green leaves, roughly star-shaped, with 7 to 9 lobes, may be nearly 45 centimetres (1 1/2 feet) across. Compact-growing and variegated leaved varieties are available. Occasionally, under good indoor conditions, it may produce white flower clusters followed by shiny black fruit. Fatsia has been crossed with an English ivy (Hedera helix) to produce the tree ivy, or aralia ivy ( Fatshedera lizei), an intergeneric cross, a most uncommon botanical occurrence.