Schefflera J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. is a genus of woody plants in the family Araliaceae (order Apiales), first described by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in 1775. In its current, strictly circumscribed sense the genus comprises approximately 13 accepted species native to the Pacific region and New Zealand — a drastic reduction from the hundreds of species once placed here under a broad, polyphyletic treatment.
Plants in the genus are typically trees or large shrubs bearing distinctive palmately compound leaves, in which multiple leaflets radiate from a central stalk like the spokes of an umbrella or the fingers of a hand. Schefflera digitata, the best-known native New Zealand species and the one whose image this entry illustrates, is an endemic small tree reaching up to 8 metres tall with greenish, finely ridged bark. Its leaves typically carry seven sharply serrate leaflets on stalks up to 25 cm long, with smaller lateral leaflets flanking a longer terminal one. Juvenile plants produce irregularly lobed to pinnatifid foliage. Flowers are small, greenish-cream, borne in spreading panicles; fruits ripen to dark purple fleshy structures containing multiple seeds, maturing February–March.
Schefflera actinophylla (octopus tree or umbrella tree), native to wet tropical forests of northern Australia and southern New Guinea, is another widely recognized member. It begins life as an epiphyte before rooting in the ground, and produces glossy compound leaves with 5–18 leaflets. It is cultivated as a houseplant in temperate regions, though all plant parts are toxic to humans and animals, containing terpenoids, saponins, and insoluble calcium oxalates.
A major taxonomic revision — driven by molecular phylogenetic evidence that the traditional, broadly defined Schefflera contained five geographically isolated clades linked only by parallel evolution — reassigned the majority of the genus to other genera. Most prominently, the ubiquitous houseplant sold as Schefflera arboricola is now correctly placed in Heptapleurum arboricola, while many American species were transferred to the resurrected genus Didymopanax (2020).
Etymology
The genus name Schefflera honors Johann Peter Ernst von Scheffler (18th century), a physician and botanist based in Gdańsk and Warsaw. Scheffler contributed plant specimens to the botanical work of Gottfried Reyger, and was commemorated by J.R. Forster and G. Forster when they formally described the genus in their 1775 publication Characteres Generum Plantarum.
Distribution
In its current circumscription, Schefflera is native to the southwestern Pacific and New Zealand. Schefflera digitata — the only species endemic to New Zealand — is widespread across the North, South, and Stewart Islands, growing from sea level to approximately 1,000 metres in lowland to montane forest. Other accepted species are distributed across New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
Schefflera actinophylla (octopus tree) is native to wet tropical forests of northern Australia and southern New Guinea; it has been introduced to subtropical regions worldwide as an ornamental, and is documented as an exotic pest plant in Florida.
Taxonomy
Schefflera as currently accepted is a sharply reduced genus. Historically it was treated broadly to include hundreds of species distributed across the tropics and subtropics worldwide, making it one of the largest genera in Araliaceae. Molecular phylogenetic studies demonstrated that this broad circumscription was polyphyletic — that is, it grouped together five geographically separate lineages that had independently evolved similar leaf and inflorescence forms (parallel evolution), not a single evolutionary lineage.
As a result, the vast majority of species formerly placed in Schefflera have been redistributed to other genera. The most familiar example is Heptapleurum arboricola (formerly Schefflera arboricola), the dwarf umbrella plant widely sold as a houseplant. American species were returned to the resurrected genus Didymopanax in 2020. The remaining accepted Schefflera — roughly 13 species per the current GBIF treatment — are centered on New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
Genus-level synonyms include Agalima and Sciadophyllum P.Browne. A fossil fruit, †Schefflera dorofeevii, is known from Middle Miocene freshwater deposits in the West Carpathians of Poland.
Ecology
Schefflera digitata in New Zealand is a component of lowland to montane closed forest, occasionally occurring in wetland margins but predominantly in upland environments. It flowers and fruits in late summer, February through March, producing dark purple fleshy fruits dispersed by birds and other animals.
Schefflera actinophylla is notable for a hemi-epiphytic life strategy: seeds germinate on the branches or trunks of host trees and the young plant grows as an epiphyte before eventually establishing terrestrial roots. In cultivation and in naturalized populations, the species attracts birds and butterflies to its nectar-rich inflorescences.
Cultivation
Members of the genus are grown as ornamentals in warm climates and as houseplants in temperate regions. Schefflera actinophylla performs best in bright, indirect light with high humidity and temperatures consistently above 60°F (65–90°F is optimal). It requires rich, moist, well-drained growing medium; rainwater or filtered water is preferred over hard tap water. Outdoor cultivation is viable in USDA hardiness zones 10–12. Pruning to manage size is recommended during the plant's winter dormancy period.
Note: Plants commonly sold under the label "Schefflera" in the horticultural trade — including the dwarf umbrella plant — are now correctly assigned to Heptapleurum arboricola, not Schefflera in the strict botanical sense.
Propagation
Schefflera actinophylla can be propagated by three methods: seed, air-layering, or stem cuttings. The plant tolerates significant pruning, which is useful for controlling height in container specimens; winter is the preferred season for hard pruning.
Conservation
Schefflera digitata, the only Schefflera species endemic to New Zealand, is assessed as Not Threatened under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, a status maintained consistently since 2004 and reconfirmed in the 2023 assessment. It is regionally Not Threatened in Auckland and Otago.
Schefflera actinophylla (octopus tree), while not threatened in its native range, has established invasive populations outside that range and is listed as an exotic pest plant in Florida.
Cultural Uses & Toxicity
In New Zealand, Schefflera digitata is known by the Māori names patatē (also spelled patē) and seven-finger, the latter referring to the characteristic seven-leaflet palmately compound leaf.
Toxicity: All parts of Schefflera actinophylla are toxic if ingested by humans or animals. Symptoms include oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Contact with the sap can cause contact dermatitis. The toxic constituents are terpenoids, saponins, and insoluble calcium oxalates. Plants should be kept away from children and pets.
History
The genus was formally described in 1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster in Characteres Generum Plantarum, named in honor of the botanist-physician Johann Peter Ernst von Scheffler of Gdańsk and Warsaw. Fossil evidence of a related species, †Schefflera dorofeevii, has been recovered from Middle Miocene freshwater deposits in Poland's West Carpathians, providing a paleobotanical record for the group in Europe.
