FATSIA OU ARALIA DU JAPON ARBUSTE POUR LE JARDIN ET PLANTE D’INTÉRIEUR… Le Quotidien du Jardin N°291

NewsJardinTV, the channel that shares a passion for plants, gardens, botany, nature, and gardening, is pleased to welcome you to Nicole and Patrick Mioulane's veranda for episode 291 of its program, "Le Quotidien du Jardin" (The Garden Daily). Profichi asks us the following question: "I would like to know if it's possible to grow a Japanese Aralia as a houseplant. I really like the large leaves of this shrub, which I admired in the garden of a friend in Brittany." Japanese Aralia is the common name for Fatsia japonica, also called false aralia, a shrub native to Japan that belongs to the Araliaceae family, established by Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu in 1789. The Araliaceae family comprises 57 genera and approximately 1,400 species, primarily of tropical origin. The only European representative of the family is ivy (Hedera). Besides Fatsia japonica, two other beautiful Araliaceae are also cultivated in our gardens: Aralia elata, the Japanese tree angelica, a large, thorny shrub with ample, finely cut foliage, and Tetrapanax papyrifer, the rice paper tree (formerly considered a Fatsia), an exuberant and very spectacular plant with its enormous palmate leaves. Some Araliaceae are cultivated as houseplants, notably Aralia elegantissima (dizygotheca), Polyscias, and especially Schefflera. The genus Fatsia comprises three species native to southern Japan and Taiwan: Fatsia japonica, Fatsia oligocarpella, native to the Bonin Islands south of Japan, with very deeply cut leaves, and Fatsia polycarpa, native to the mountainous regions of Taiwan, which can be grown in gardens in coastal areas (hardy to -8°C). The name Fatsia is an approximation of the Japanese word hachi, meaning eight, a reference to the eight lobes that the leaves generally have. In Japan, the plant is called yatsude, meaning eight fingers. Fatsia japonica grows wild in coastal forests in Japan and South Korea. It is an evergreen shrub, 1 to 5 meters tall, with sturdy, sparsely branched stems that are downy when young. The evergreen leaves, 20 to 40 cm wide, are spirally arranged on 30 to 50 cm long petioles. They are leathery, palmately lobed, glossy green, and divided into 7 to 11 lobes (usually 8) with coarse, blunt teeth along the edges. From late autumn to early winter, upright terminal panicles form, accompanied by large, membranous bracts. These inflorescences are composed of compact, pom-pom-like umbels of creamy-white, five-petaled flowers, 2 to 6 mm in diameter. The nectar-rich blooms, which attract bees, are followed in spring by clusters of small, inedible black fruits (drupes), about half a centimeter in diameter, containing flattened seeds. Fatsia japonica is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions where winter temperatures do not drop below -15°C (dry soil for short periods). It tolerates salt spray and air pollution. It can also be grown as a houseplant, thriving in bright, cool rooms. It is considered an air-purifying plant, as studies have shown it removes formaldehyde gas from indoor air. In the garden, Fatsia japonica flourishes in partial shade or deep shade in any type of soil that remains moist during the summer. Two variegated cultivars are particularly noteworthy: • Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' (or 'Spider White') is a highly ornamental cultivar with dark green leaves generously speckled with white. Slower-growing than the species, it will not exceed 2.5 m in height at maturity. • Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' has leaves irregularly marked with creamy white. Maximum height: 2 m, good hardiness. Caution: the sticky, resinous sap of Fatsia japonica can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals. A sterile hybrid between Fatsia japonica and Hedera helix (common ivy), named × Fatshedera lizei, was obtained in 1912 by the Lizé Frères nursery, founded in Nantes in 1850. This species, whose genus is validated by international botanical nomenclature, has solid green or variegated leaves. Commonly called "ivy aralia," it is cultivated as a houseplant. Thank you for watching our program. We hope you enjoyed it and had a very pleasant time. Join us every weeknight for a new episode of "THE GARDEN DAILY." It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! In the next episode, Patrick will answer the following question: What is the difference between a trumpet vine and a Campsis? It seems to me that they are the same plant, and yet, I think I've seen different flowers bearing the name trumpet vine. Thank you for clarifying this for me…