Schefflera

Schefflera is a genus of the Araliaceae family. Are trees, shrubs or vines native to New Zealand, Java, India, East Asia and Fiji Islands.

Features

Shrubs, trees or vines that can reach 30 m in height. The leaves are usually evergreen, so palmate or digitate, sometimes simple, bright and dark green.

Fairly insignificant flowers, gathered in clusters, greenish. Flowering occurs at different times, depending on the environment in which the plant is grown and the respective temperature.

Cultivation

Several species, such as Schefflera actinophylla also known as umbrella tree 'and Schefflera arboricola are used as ornamental plants, indoor, landscaping for the winter and shady patios in warmer climates.

You need plenty of light but not full sun, the temperature must be quite high, no less than 15-18 °. It requires a universal type substrate, or a mixture of normal soil with 1 / 3 peat and 1 / 6 of sand. The transplant has to be potted when winter ends. It is grown from cuttings in early spring, or by layering in early summer.

Numerous cultivars have been selected for various characters, the most popular for its purple foliage. Schefflera members are the food of the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra arenosella (feeding on S. stellata).

History

The genre was named in honor of nineteenth-century German botanist Jacob Christian Scheffler, who wrote about the genus Asarum.




Source: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera

See Also: International Flower Delivery, Florist