''Fatsia'' is a small

genus 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 nom ...

of three species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrubs in the family

Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguish ...

native to southern Japan and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. They typically have stout, sparsely branched stems bearing spirally-arranged, large leathery, palmately lobed leaves 20–50 cm in width, on a petiole up to 50 cm long, and small creamy-white

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 in dense terminal compound

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 in late autumn or early winter, followed by small black

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

. The genus was formerly classified within a broader interpretation of the related genus ''

Aralia ''Aralia'' , or spikenard, is a genus of the family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs, and rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species o ...

''.

Species

A sterile

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 ...

between ''Fatsia japonica'' and ''

Hedera hibernica ''Hedera hibernica'', common name Atlantic ivy, Boston Ivy or Irish ivy, is a woody vine native to the Atlantic coast of Europe. Description It is an evergreen climbing plant, growing to 20–30 m high where suitable surfaces (trees, cliffs, wa ...

'', named × ''Fatshedera lizei'', has been produced in cultivation in

western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

in both plain green and variegated forms. Some species formerly included in ''Fatsia'' are now classified in other genera. ''Fatsia papyrifera'' is now ''

Tetrapanax papyrifer ''Tetrapanax papyrifer'', the rice-paper plant (''通草—tong cao''), is an evergreen shrub in the family Araliaceae, the sole species in the genus ''Tetrapanax''. The specific epithet is frequently misspelled as "papyriferum", "papyriferus", ...

'' and ''Fatsia horrida'' is now ''

Oplopanax horridus Devil's club or devil's walking stick (''Oplopanax horridus'', Araliaceae; syn. ''Echinopanax horridus'', ''Fatsia horrida'') is a large understory shrub native to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, but also disjunct on islands in Lake ...

''. Image:Fatsia japonica leaf.jpg, A small ''Fatsia japonica'' leaf Image:Fatsia japonica1.jpg, Close-up of flower

Image:Fatsia in Natchez, MS IMG_6970.JPG, Fatsia, Japanese aralia at

Rosalie Mansion Rosalie Mansion is a historic pre-Civil War mansion and historic house museum in Natchez, Mississippi. Built in 1823, it served as the architectural inspiration for a large number of Natchez's grand Greek Revival mansions, and was a major influ ...

Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States * Grand Village of the Natchez, a site o ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

References

External links

Photos of various ''Fatsia'' forms and species for comparison
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1763723 Apiales genera Taxa named by Jules Émile Planchon Taxa named by Joseph Decaisne