False Aralia
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called petit boux caledonien, spider plant and threadleaf false aralia.
False Aralia is toxic
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Dizygotheca elegantissima. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Medium light 100 fcClemson Extension, filed as Dizygotheca elegantissima · read 13 September 2026Full shade, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Non-toxicASPCA, filed as Dizygotheca elegantissima · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Non-toxicASPCA, filed as Dizygotheca elegantissima · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Touching it may trigger skin allergies. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Propagation
- SeedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from seed or semi-hardwood cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning from time to time helps keep its size in check.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Under glass, mealybugs, thrips and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
- Native range
- SE. New CaledoniaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026SE. New CaledoniaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026New CaledoniaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- shrub or treeWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Shrub, Tree; habit broad, erect, openNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 84–120 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, green; blooms in fall, winterNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers green in autumn; yellow in autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
More of the Araliaceae family
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.