Greening - Tree Labels with QR Codes (72)

Umbrella Tree

Scientific Name : Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms
Common Name : Umbrella Tree
Chinese Name : 輻葉鵝掌柴, 澳洲鵝掌柴, 傘樹
Family : ARALIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	North to Northeast Queensland, Australia and South to Southeast New Guinea.
Applications	The Umbrella Tree is widely cultivated in tropical areas as indoor and outdoor ornamental plants and street trees. In Hawaii, its flowers can be used to make garlands as accessories.
Ecology	Native habitats of the Umbrella Tree are tropical lowland rainforests and monsoon rainforests, and it also grows in sclerophyllous forests, open forest, and forest edges. It can grow into a tree alone, but is often epiphytic or lithophytic in its native habitats. Its giant inflorescences attract insects and birds to collect nectar, and its fleshy fruits are also welcomed by birds. Crows (Corvus Linnaeus, 1758), Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758)) and starlings (Sturnidae Rafinesque, 1815) are all of its “customers”. This is beneficial to the biodiversity of urban greening. The Umbrella Tree has a trend of being naturalized globally, while it is invasive to a certain extent. In South Queensland, Hawaii and the State of Florida of the United States, it is reported that the Umbrella Tree are invading the local habitats, posting some threats to the local ecosystems.

Traits for identification

Growing habit	Evergreen tree.
Height	To 20 m.
Stems	Trunk upright, usually branched from the base. Bark of trunk grey, smooth.
Leaves	Palmately compound. Leaflets 9 to 11, oblong, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, leathery and glossy, drooping, shaped like an umbrella or a parachute. Area of leaflets large, the diameter of the whorl compound leaf to 76 cm (30 inches). Petioles brownish red.
Flowers	Inflorescences large, terminal. Shaped like an octopus or the rib of an upside-down umbrella. 7 to 16 stout branches radiating from a single point, length of each branch to 1 m, with many subglobose umbels. 10 to 20 purplish red, small and sessile flowers on each umbel.
Fruits	Drupe globose, red when mature.
Flowering period	October in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period	March to May in Hong Kong.

Overview of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms.

Trunk of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms.

Bark of trunk grey.

Palmately compound. Leaflets oblong, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, glossy.

Palmately compound. Leaflets drooping, shaped like an umbrella or a parachute.

Leaf bud (growth apex).

Inflorescences large, terminal. Shaped like an octopus or the ribs of an upside-down umbrella. 7 to 16 stout branches radiating from a single point. Flowers purplish red, small and sessile.

10 to 20 purplish red, small and sessile flowers on each umbel. Flowers blossom, anthers exserted from corolla.

Flower buds of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms on subglobose umbels.

Insect gathers nectar on the flowers of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms.

Infrutescence of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms, similar to its inflorescence.

Drupe globose, red when mature.

A <em>Zosterops</em> simplex (Swinhoe, 1861) feed on the fleshy fruits of <em>Schefflera actinophylla</em> (Endl.) Harms.

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=4477

Scientific names from other databases
― Plants of the World Online : Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms

Reference

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3^rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
Blaxell, D., Bryant, G., von Bery, G. L., Paddison, V. & Segall, B. (2001). Trees & Shrubs. Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd, Willoughby, Australia. ISBN: 1-7408-007-4.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, The State of Queensland. (2020). Umbrella tree, Schefflera actinophylla. Invasive plants. Weeds and diseases. Health, pests, weeds and diseases. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from : https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/51706/umbrella-tree.pdf
Gilman, E. F. & Watson, D. G. (1994). Schefflera actinophylla, Schefflera. Fact Sheet ST-585, a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from: http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/schacta.pdf
Gucker, C. L. (2011). Schefflera actinophylla. In: Fire Effects Information System. [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from : https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/schact/all.html
Identic Pty Ltd. (2016). Weeds of Australia – Biosecurity Queensland Edition Fact Sheet. Schefflera actinophylla. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from : https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/schefflera_actinophylla.pdf
National Parks Board, Government of Singapore. (2020). Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms. National Parks Flora and Fauna Web. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/1/3115
Rojas-Sandoval, J. & Acevedo-Rodriguez, P. (2019). Schefflera actinophylla. Invasive Species Compendium. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI). Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/48920#3F7AB37B-5405-4108-A281-219B6CE7BEAC
Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium. (2020). Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms 傘樹. Pro-Factsheet. Taxonomical Archive System. Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Native Plant Resources and Database in Hong Kong. Retrieved 4^th June 2020, from: https://syhuherbarium.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/collections/factsheet-pro/schefflera-actinophylla/
Staples, G. & Herbst, D. (2005). A Tropical Garden Flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Hawai’i. ISBN: 1-58178-039-7.
Zich, F. A., Hyland, B. P. M., Whiffin, T. & Kerrigan, R. A. (2018). Schefflera actinophylla. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants, Edition 7. Retrieved 6^th July 2020, from : http://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFK7/key/RFK7/Media/Html/entities/Schefflera_actinophylla.htm
中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2012）。《深圳植物誌》（第3卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-6828-3。
李先源。（2018）。《觀賞植物分類學》。北京 : 科學出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-03-055580-9。
漁農自然護理署。（2018）。《香港市區常見樹木圖鑑》。第3版。香港 : 漁農自然護理署。國際標準書號 : 978-988-12021-3-0。