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Fatsia

Fatsia japonica, Araliaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Big-leaf Paper Plant, castor oil plant, fatsi, fig-leaf palm, glossy-leaved paper plant, Japanese Aralia, Japanese Fatsia, Paper Plant and paperplant.

Fatsia (Fatsia japonica), the whole plant.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fatsia is toxic

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • Toxic to people. The fruit is ornamental and should not be eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Fatsia japonica AGM. Citations below point at the name its source uses.

Light
Medium light 100 fc
Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · 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.

H5 — -15 to -10°C -15 to -10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
The fruit is ornamental and should not be eaten. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Feeding
Feed regularly, but not in winter while growth has stopped.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Increase from semi-hardwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Prune at any time of year to keep its shape; next year's flowers form on new growth.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Mealybugs, thrips and scale insects can attack it. Disease risks: honey fungus and a leaf spot.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Fatsia (Fatsia japonica) foliage.
Close upSun Jiao (Interaccoonale), CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Fatsia japonica, also fatsi, paperplant, false castor oil plant, or Japanese aralia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to southern Japan and southern Korea.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
S. Korea, Japan to Nansei-shotō
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South Korea, Japan to Nansei-shoto
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Japan, South Korea
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
shrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Perennial, Shrub, Tree; habit rounded
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Suckering (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 72–234 in; width 48–72 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 2.5-4 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers cream/tan, white; blooms in fall
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers white in autumn
RHS · read 13 September 2026

More of the Araliaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.