Species · genus Polyscias · Araliaceae

Balfour Aralia

Polyscias balfouriana (Hort.Sander.) L.H.Bailey

Also known as: Dinner Plate Aralia

Growth habit

shrub or tree

Native range

New Guinea, Queensland

Reference · P. balfouriana

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.

Polyscias balfouriana is a woody shrub or small tree from the tropical forests of New Guinea and Queensland, grown indoors for its rounded, leathery foliage. It wants bright indirect light and an evenly-but-not-wet root zone; water when the top inch of mix has dried, letting it approach dryness between drinks since the woody base resents sitting soggy. It dislikes cold drafts and sudden moves, and can drop leaves when stressed.

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

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Rich, well-draining peat-based potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings rooted in warm, humid conditions

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly through the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: 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 — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.