13 February 2018

Can someone identify this plant for me?


One of our neighbors is moving and offered us this plant.  Before bringing it to our house we need to make sure it is not something that would be toxic if the cats eat the leaves.

Thanks in advance.

12 comments:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera

    Although I believe they are toxic, I've had a dwarf schefflera for a few years now, and my kitty has never wanted to chomp it.

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    1. And I found this -

      According to the ASPCA, the "Schefflera" plant species as a whole is toxic for cats and dogs. The Schefflera arboricola certainly is no exception. The danger comes from the fact that all of the plants contain very sharp calcium oxalate crystals that, upon consumption, can trigger serious mouth and digestive tract irritation, not to mention swelling issues.

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  2. Looks like an Avocado. Is it always inside?

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  3. Don't know what the plant is ,how many cats do you have?

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  4. I'm sure it's a Schefflera - Brassaia actinophylla
    Handsome, fast growing tree; height reaches 6' or more. The taller the tree, the larger its leaves

    Temp - average to warm

    Light - Full sun or bright indirect light.

    Watering - Keep soil uniformly moist but not wet

    Fertilize - Every 2 months

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  5. I too saw it as a Schefflera, I've had a few as potted plants in my time. Wiki: Schefflera /ˈʃɛflərə/[1] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing 1–30 metres (3 ft 3 in–98 ft 5 in) tall, with woody stems and palmately compound leaves. The circumscription of the genus has varied greatly. Phylogenetic studies have shown that the widely used broad circumscription as a pantropical genus of over 700 species is polyphyletic, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the classification of the genus.[2][3]

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  6. I had been about to disagree with the above and point out that it's definitely an Australian Umbrella Tree, and then google told me that that is also in the Schefflera genus...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schefflera_actinophylla

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    1. "Umbrella Tree" - I'd almost forgotten, but wasn't it called that because of the "Little Black Sambo" illustration? Can't remember how that went, but I think that term is linked to that plant because of it.

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  7. Shefflera are harmful to cats:
    https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/schefflera

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  8. I don't know what it's called, but my parents have had one in their house for over 40 years. (It has reached the ceiling and been sawn in half a few times.) My parents have had both dogs and cats that entire time and none of them have ever tried to nibble the plant.

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  9. As a florist for 38 years, I often told people they had my blessings
    to toss a plant that ugly.

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