Plerandra elegantissima

Plerandra elegantissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Araliaceae
Genus:	Plerandra
Species:	P. elegantissima
Binomial name
Plerandra elegantissima (Veitch ex Masters ) Lowry G. M. Plunkett & Frodin
Synonyms[1]
Aralia elegantissima Veitch ex Mast. Dizygotheca coenosa R. Vig. Dizygotheca elegantissima (Veitch ex Mast.) R. Vig. & Guillaumin Dizygotheca faguetii (Baill.) R. Vig. Schefflera coenosa (R. Vig.) Frodin Schefflera elegantissima (Veitch ex Mast.) Lowry & Frodin Schefflera faguetii Baill.

Plerandra elegantissima (formerly called Schefflera elegantissima and Dizygotheca elegantissima) also known as false aralia is a species of flowering plant in the Araliaceae family, native to New Caledonia.^[2] Growing to 8–15 m (26–49 ft) tall by 2 m (7 ft) broad, it is an evergreen shrub or tree. Its leaves are thin, coppery red to dark green with toothed edges. On adult plants the leaves are much broader. In autumn it bears clusters of pale green flowers followed by black fruit. With a minimum temperature of 13–15 °C (55–59 °F), in temperate zones it is grown as a houseplant and is much more compact, typically reaching heights of 2–3 m (7–10 ft).^[3]

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[4]

References

1. Lowry, P.P., II; Plunkett, G.M.; Frodin, D.G. (2013). "Revision of Plerandra (Araliaceae). I. A synopsis of the genus with an expanded circumscription and a new infrageneric classification". Brittonia 65 (1): 42–61. doi:10.1007/s12228-012-9260-2.
2. "Taxon: Schefflera elegantissima (hort. Veitch ex Mast.) Lowry & Frodin". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
4. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4119