Why Plants Die
Theme
Theme

Schefflera

Heptapleurum actinophyllum, Araliaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Australian ivy palm, octopus tree, Starleaf and Umbrella Tree.

Schefflera (Heptapleurum actinophyllum), the whole plant.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Schefflera is toxic

  • Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Terpenoids, saponins, insoluble oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
  • Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Terpenoids, saponins, insoluble oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Brassaia actinophylla, Schefflera actinophylla AGM. Citations below point at the name its source uses.

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

H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Chalk, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Toxic
ASPCA, filed as Brassaia actinophylla · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Toxic
ASPCA, filed as Brassaia actinophylla · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Give it rainwater or filtered water on a regular basis.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seeds, cuttings or layering can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase from seed or semi-hardwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Prune to keep its size in check; it can be cut back in winter.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by banded greenhouse thrips.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Mealybugs, thrips and soft scale can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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

Flowers of Schefflera (Heptapleurum actinophyllum).
FlowersGilmar R. Ferreira, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Heptapleurum actinophyllum is a tree in the family Araliaceae. It is native to tropical rainforests and gallery forests in northern and northeastern Queensland coasts and the Northern Territory of Australia, as well as New Guinea and Java. Common names include Australian umbrella tree, Queensland umbrella tree, octopus tree and amate.

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

Native range
S. New Guinea to N. Australia
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South New Guinea to Northern Australia
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Australia & New Guinea
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
scrambling tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Epiphyte, Perennial, Shrub, Tree; habit dense, erect, spreading, vase
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 48–72 in; width 36–72 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, red/burgundy; blooms in summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers red in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Used for animal feed and medicine.
NC State Extension · 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.