× ''Fatshedera'' is

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

tree ivy or aralia ivy. It has only one species, × ''Fatshedera lizei''. The hybrid symbol × in front of the name indicates that this is an inter-generic hybrid, a cross between plants from different

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

. The name may be displayed with or without a space after the × symbol. × ''Fatshedera lizei'' was created by crossing ''

Fatsia japonica ''Fatsia japonica'', also fatsi, paperplant, false castor oil plant, or Japanese aralia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to southern Japan and southern Korea. Etymology The name ''fatsi'' is an approximation of t ...

'' 'Moserii' (Moser's Japanese fatsia, the seed parent) and '' Hedera helix'' (common ivy, the pollen parent) at the Lizé Frères tree nursery at

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

in France in 1912. Its generic name is derived from the names of the two parent genera.

Description

The plant combines the

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

by shape of '' Fatsia'' with the five-lobed leaves of '' Hedera''. As a shrub, × ''F. lizei'' can grow up to 1.2 m tall, above which the weight of the fairly weak branches makes them tend to bend over. It can however also be tied to a support and grow into a

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

up to 3–4 m tall; unlike ''Hedera'', it does not readily climb without assistance. The

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

blades are 7–25 cm long and broad, with a 5–20 cm petiole. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are 4–6 mm diameter, yellowish-white, produced in late autumn or early winter in dense

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

s; they are

sterile Sterile or sterility may refer to: *Asepsis, a state of being free from biological contaminants * Sterile (archaeology), a sediment deposit which contains no evidence of human activity *Sterilization (microbiology), any process that eliminates or ...

and do not produce any fruit. However, specimens have been reported, which did produce not only flowers but also clusters of berries, one of which put forth shoots in the pot.

Cultivation

It is grown both as a garden plant outdoors, and as a houseplant indoors, where its tolerance of shady conditions is valued. Inside it grows well in bright indirect light. Outdoors, it can tolerate winter temperatures down to −15 °C, but can also be grown successfully indoors with temperatures never falling below 20 °C. Several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s have been selected, with dark green to variously white- or yellow-

variegated Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...

leaves. × ''Fatshedera lizei'', together with the

s 'Annemieke' and 'Variegata' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fatshedera Araliaceae Plant nothogenera Plants described in 1912 Monotypic Apiales genera