Species · genus Polyscias · Araliaceae
Balfour Aralia
Polyscias balfouriana (Hort.Sander.) L.H.Bailey
Also known as: Dinner Plate Aralia
Cultivars of P. balfouriana
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under P. balfouriana yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
A Shrub of Many Names
Polyscias balfouriana is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the Araliaceae family, grown both in gardens where climate allows and as a houseplant elsewhere. It is also known under the synonym Polyscias scutellaria, with the variegated form sold as 'Marginata'.
Source: Kew
From New Guinea to Queensland
This species is native to New Guinea and Queensland, where it grows as a shrub or tree in the wet tropical biome. It has since been introduced well beyond that range, taking hold in places such as Cambodia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.
Source: Kew
Warmth, Light, and Moisture
Under glass or indoors, this plant wants peat-free, loam-based compost and full or bright, filtered light. While it is actively growing, water freely, mist daily, and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed, then let watering fall back to sparing once winter sets in. It carries a hardiness rating of H1C, meaning it can only be stood outside in the milder summer months and needs shelter from cold otherwise.
Source: RHS
Cuttings With Bottom Heat
Propagate by taking greenwood cuttings in early summer, or by rooting leafless stem sections with the help of bottom heat during the summer months.
Source: RHS
Rounded Leaves, White Margins
The genus Polyscias is defined by evergreen shrubs and small trees bearing simple, pinnate, or palmately dissected leaves, with small greenish flowers gathered into umbels and panicles, sometimes followed by small black berries. In the variegated 'Marginata' form, the leaves are rounded, glossy, and dark green with irregular white margins, carried on a columnar, upright habit.
Source: RHS
Watch for Mites and Mealybugs
This plant may be troubled by glasshouse red spider mite or mealybugs, though it is generally free of disease.
Source: RHS
Light Pruning, Careful Handling
It falls under the light pruning group, so shaping can be kept minimal and infrequent. Note too that it is a skin allergen, so gloves and other protective equipment are worth wearing when handling it.
Source: RHS
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 12 days
Medium
16–27 °C
Rich, well-draining peat-based potting mix
Stem cuttings rooted in warm, humid conditions
Balanced liquid feed monthly through the growing season
Moderate
Rarely flowers indoors
Not yet documented
This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
PrimarySources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Balfour Aralia yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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