Species · genus Polyscias · Araliaceae

Shield Aralia

Polyscias scutellaria (Burm.fil.) Fosberg

Also known as: Dinnerplate-aralia

Growth habit

shrub or tree

Native range

Maluku, New Guinea, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., Vanuatu

Reference · P. scutellaria

Cultivars of P. scutellaria

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. scutellaria 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 scutellaria is a woody shrub or small tree native to humid islands of the western Pacific and Maluku, where it grows as warm tropical understory and edge growth. It prefers bright indirect light and an evenly moist but never soggy root run; water when the top inch of mix has dried, and err toward the longer interval, as woody Polyscias drop leaves and rot if kept wet. It tolerates ordinary household humidity but appreciates steady warmth and good airflow.

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 warmth and humidity

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 Shield 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.