Australian Umbrella Tree: Classification, Distribution, Description, Ecological Significance, and, Care for Umbrella Plants
A Member of the Araliaceae family of trees, Heptapleurum actinophyllum was formerly known as Schefflera actinophylla. Schefflera is an epiphyte in the genus. The tropics and subtropics are home to a large number of Schefflera species, which number over 650. The Schefflera looks a lot like an exotic, 25-foot-tall plant umbrella thanks to its huge, palmately complex, lustrous leaves perched atop its numerous, thin, naked trunks. Schefflera gives any landscape usage, from patio pots to interiorscapes to covered outdoor areas, a tropical feel. Schefflera will expand quickly to form a dense windbreak or screen for property lines and is capable of growing to a height of 40 feet. In the summer, trees that are growing in full sunlight will bloom, with an odd arrangement of tiny blooms on three-foot-diameter, rigid terminal clusters. These clusters, which are held above the foliage, are organized like the tentacles of an octopus or the ribs of an inverted umbrella. After the crimson blooms, half-inch reddish-purple fruits appear. Several Schefflera species’ leaves and bark are used as diuretics and cough remedies. The treatment of asthma, liver disorders, rheumatism, arthritis, sprains, fractures, stomach ache, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, migraine, and general tonic is among the ethnomedical uses of Schefflera (Ragasa et al., 2005). Caffeoyl acids, quercetin glycoside, and oleanolic acid glycoside are the primary components of S. venulosa extract, which promotes blood circulation and guards against cerebral and heart vascular disorders (Purohith et al., 1991).