Fatsia japonica
Common name
fatsia
Family
Araliaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
FATJAP
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Features
Tree (up to 6 m) with large leaves and a green-black spherical berry 5-8mm diameter (Rogan, 1997).
Flowering
March, April, May
Flower colours
White
Year naturalised
1981
Origin
Japan, S. Korea
Etymology
fatsia: From the Japanese name for this shrub Fatsi
japonica: Of Japan
Reason For Introduction
Ornamental
Dispersal
Seed is dispersed a reasonable distance probably by birds e.g. starlings, blackbirds, mynas, song thrushes, kereru (Rogan, 1997).
Tolerances
High shade tolerance (Rogan, 1997). Frost hardy tolerating temperatures down to -5 C(Rogan, 1997).