Houseplant · Araliaceae
Umbrella Tree
Heptapleurum arboricola
Give it bright indirect light and a chance to dry out, and the umbrella tree is one of the most forgiving plants you can keep.
Bright indirect
USDA 10–12
3–8 ft · 0.9–2.4 m
Overview
The umbrella tree earns its name from leaves that spread out from a central point like the spokes of an umbrella. It belongs to the ivy family and comes from Taiwan and Hainan, where it grows as a shrub or small tree. Indoors it stays manageable and keeps the same glossy, starry leaflets that make it such a familiar houseplant.
This is an easy plant to live with. It puts up with a range of light, shrugs off a missed watering, and takes hard pruning without complaint, so you can keep it bushy or train an older plant into a small indoor tree. The one thing it won't forgive is wet feet, which is the fastest way to lose one.
One word of caution sets it apart from a truly hands-off plant. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so it is toxic to cats and dogs and not edible for anyone. Place it where pets and small children can't get a bite, and it rewards you for years.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, water only once the top half of the soil has dried, and keep it above 60°F (15.6°C). Skip the soggy saucer, prune to shape, and it stays full and green.
Light
Give it bright indirect light, the kind a curtain-filtered east, west, or south window provides for a few hours a day. It tolerates a bit of shade, but a dim corner leaves you with stretched, weak stems. Strong direct sun, on the other hand, scorches the leaves.
Water
Water well, then wait until the top half of the soil has dried before you water again. Standing water is the main thing to avoid, so empty the saucer every time. Ease off through fall and into late winter, when the plant drinks far less.
Soil
Plant it in a peaty, well-drained potting mix with plenty of organic matter, and make sure the pot has drainage holes. It isn't fussy about pH, taking anything from 6.0 to 8.0, and copes with clay, loam, or sandy mixes.
Temperature
Keep it warm and steady, above 60°F (15.6°C), and well clear of cold drafts, vents, and air conditioners. A chill is a common reason leaves start dropping.
Humidity
Ordinary room humidity suits it, so there's no number to hit. In a dry, heated winter, a tray of wet pebbles or the odd misting keeps the leaf tips from browning.
Feeding
Feed through the growing season, from spring into summer, with a water-soluble or time-release houseplant fertilizer at the label rate. Cut back when the plant is sitting in low light and growing slowly.
Pruning
It takes hard pruning in stride. Cut just above a leaf to hold its size and push out bushier growth, and over time you can train an older plant into a tidy small tree. Wear gloves, since the sap can bother skin.
Repotting
Repot a crowded plant in any season once the roots fill the container or growth slows, moving up to a slightly larger pot of general-purpose mix. There's no need to rush it, as this plant doesn't mind being a little snug.
Size & spacing
Indoors it runs from about 3 to 8 feet (91 to 244 cm) tall, with a spread of 4 to 8 feet (122 to 244 cm). Give it room to fan out, and prune to keep it in bounds where space is tight.
Troubleshooting
Almost every umbrella tree problem traces back to watering, light, or dry air, and the plant tells you which one early. Read the leaves and stems, match what you see below, and fix the cause before it spreads.
Wilting and yellowing while the soil stays soggy
When a plant wilts even though the soil is wet, the roots are drowning, and root rot has set in from overwatering or poor drainage. Tip it out, cut away any brown, mushy, foul-smelling roots, and repot into fresh, well-drained mix in a pot with real drainage holes. From then on let the top half of the soil dry and keep the saucer empty.
Fix:
- Allow the soil to dry appropriately between waterings
- Repot into fresh, well-drained potting mix and a pot with drainage holes
- Remove rotted roots and badly affected growth
Leaves dropping off the plant
An umbrella tree drops leaves when its watering swings between soggy and bone dry, and a cold draft or a sudden move can do the same. Settle on a steady routine, let the top half of the soil dry before you water again, and keep it above 60°F (15.6°C) in one stable, brightly lit spot. Most plants leaf back out once the conditions hold.
Fix:
- Adjust watering so the top half of the soil dries before rewatering
- Move the plant away from cold drafts, vents and air conditioners
- Keep temperatures above about 15.6°C (60°F)
- Give the plant a stable spot in bright indirect light and avoid frequent moves
Fine webbing and dusty, speckled leaves
Stippled, dusty-looking leaves with fine webbing on the undersides mean spider mites, which take hold fast in hot, dry air. Rinse the foliage and wipe the leaves down with a damp sponge, then treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Raising the humidity makes the plant a far less welcoming home for them.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and wipe leaves with a damp sponge
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Raise humidity to discourage mites
Cottony tufts, brown bumps, and sticky residue
Cottony white tufts in the leaf joints are mealybugs, and the small brown shell-like bumps along the stems are scale, both often giving themselves away with sticky honeydew. Dab the insects with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, then follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Keep the plant on its own and repeat the treatment until no new bugs turn up.
Fix:
- Dab insects with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Repeat treatments and isolate the plant until cleared
Twisted, scarred new growth
Curled or scarred new leaves point to aphids clustering on the soft tips or thrips rasping at the surface. Knock the aphids off with a spray of water, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and cut away any badly distorted growth. Catching them early, before the numbers build, makes the difference.
Fix:
- Rinse off aphids with water
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Remove heavily infested growth
Stretched, spindly stems with pale, sparse leaves
Stretched stems and yellowing leaves are the plant reaching for more light. Move it to a brighter window with curtain-filtered sun for a few hours a day, then prune the leggy stems just above a leaf and it fills back out bushier than before.
Fix:
- Move to a brighter spot with bright indirect light (an east, west or south window with curtain-filtered sun for 3-4 hours daily)
- Prune leggy stems just above a leaf to encourage bushier regrowth
Brown leaf tips when the air turns dry
Brown tips and the odd dropped leaf usually point to dry air, and it shows up most in winter once the heating runs. Set the pot on a tray of wet pebbles, keeping the base clear of standing water, and either mist the leaves or group it with other plants to lift the moisture around it.
Fix:
- Raise humidity by setting the container on a tray of wet pebbles (pot not sitting in water)
- Mist the foliage or group with other plants
Toxicity
This is the toxic Schefflera, not the safe umbrella pine. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that the ASPCA flags as toxic to cats and dogs, bringing on a burning mouth, drooling, and vomiting if chewed. No part is edible, and the sap can irritate skin, so keep it away from pets and children and wear gloves when you prune.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
The ASPCA lists this plant as toxic to cats. A cat that bites a leaf gets an immediate burning in the mouth, then heavy drooling, pawing at the face, vomiting, and trouble swallowing.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs react the same way the ASPCA flags for cats. Chewing any part brings on intense mouth and tongue irritation, drooling, and vomiting, since the same sharp oxalate crystals are at work.
Horses Caution
The plant isn't a normal pasture risk, but the calcium oxalate crystals would sting a grazing horse's mouth and may cause drooling. Keep it well out of reach to be safe.
Rabbits Caution
Don't let a rabbit nibble it. The same irritant crystals can burn the mouth and turn the gut sour, so this is not a plant to offer or leave within reach.
Livestock Caution
Goats, sheep, and cattle would feel the oral burning and stomach upset the oxalate crystals cause. The plant rarely meets farm animals, but treat it as off limits.
Birds Caution
A curious bird that bites a leaf can get an irritated, burning mouth from the crystals. Keep companion birds away from the foliage.
People Caution
No part of this plant is edible. Chewing it irritates the mouth and throat, and the sap can leave sensitive skin itchy, so wear gloves when you prune and keep the leaves away from small children.
The sap can irritate sensitive skin; wear gloves when pruning or handling
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Most umbrella trees sold for the home are the dwarf type, and a few named cultivars stand out mainly for their variegation or compact shape.
'Gold Capella'
A gold-variegated dwarf umbrella tree whose leaves are splashed and edged with yellow.
'Trinette'
A popular variegated dwarf umbrella tree with creamy yellow and green marbled leaflets.
'Variegata'
A variegated form that carries the same starry leaves marked in pale and deep green.
'Compacta'
A tighter, slower dwarf umbrella tree that stays shorter and denser, which suits a small space.
How to propagate
Umbrella trees are easy to multiply, and you have a few routes depending on the plant you're starting with.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
The simplest way to make more plants. Take a tip or stem cutting in spring or summer, stand it in a moist potting mix, and it puts out roots over the next several weeks. Keep it warm and out of direct sun while it settles in.
Air layeringModerate
Spring to summer · Several weeks
A good trick for a tall, leggy plant you want to shorten. In spring or summer, wound the stem, wrap it to hold moisture, and roots form there over several weeks before you cut the new plant free below them.
SeedModerate
When fresh seed is available · Slow
Possible but the slow road. Sow fresh seed when you can get it, then be patient, since germination and early growth take their time compared with rooting a cutting.
Myths
The umbrella tree is harmless to cats and dogs.
The ASPCA lists it as toxic to both. Its leaves and stems hold sharp insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so a pet that chews them gets a burning mouth, heavy drooling, and vomiting. Keep this plant out of reach of cats and dogs.
Every umbrella tree behaves the same way outdoors in a warm climate.
The two plants share a name but not a track record. The larger umbrella tree, Schefflera actinophylla, is a non-native invasive listed as Florida Invasive Species Council Category I, while the dwarf umbrella tree grown indoors is naturalized but carries no such invasive listing.