Plant Calculator
Enter the approximate length and width of the area you will be planting and click 'Calculate' to determine how many Fatsia japonica you will need.
*Correct and successful spacing is complex and depends on project conditions.
Fatsia japonica
Aralia, Fatsia, or Glossy Leaf Paper Plant
- Shade Specimen
- Container Plant
- Category: Seasonal, Tropical, and Perennial Color, Trees & Shrubs, Discontinued
- Hardiness Zone: 8b
- Height: 4 Feet
- Spread: 4 Feet
- Bloom Color: Yellow
Native to Japan, Aralia is one of the few plants appreciated for its leaves over the blooms. The leaves are palmately lobed and average twelve inches wide, located on the end of petioles that can be up to three feet long. “Fatsia” is Japanese for the number eight, as the leaves typically have eight lobes.
The thick stems of Aralia can’t always bear the weight of the leaves -- they may bend to the side, eventually resting on the ground and prominently displaying the old leaf scars. Small white flowers are borne from the top of the stem in the early winter, sometimes unnoticed against the foliage.
Aralia requires moist soils, and appreciates it slightly acidic. Freezing temperatures can damage the entire plant, so mulch well and plant in a protected area anywhere in cold regions of Texas.