FATSIA

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.

It is an evergreen shrub growing to 1–5 m tall, with stout, sparsely branched stems. The leaves are spirally-arranged, large, 20–40 cm in width and on a petiole up to 50 cm long, leathery, palmately lobed, with 7–9 broad lobes, divided to half or two-thirds of the way to the base of the leaf; the lobes are edged with coarse, blunt teeth. The flowers are small, white, borne in dense terminal compound umbels in late autumn or early winter, followed by small black fruit in spring.

It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions where winters do not fall below about −15 °C. F. japonica thrives in semi-shade to full-shade and is winter hardy in USDA Zones 8–10. It can be grown as an indoor plant and has been shown to effectively remove gaseous formaldehyde from indoor air.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

BERRIES

x Fatshedera is an intergeneric hybrid created by crossing Fatsia japonica 'Moserii' (Japanese fatsia) with Hedera helix (common ivy)  in the Araliaceae family. With one parent being a shrub and the other a vine, the plant can be trained in multiple ways.  It can be tied to supports as a vine or allowed to grow along the ground as a groundcover. Pruning the plant to encourage bushiness will give it a more shrub-like form. Greenish-white flowers are produced in Autumn, and berries (seen here) develop in Winter.

This plant is very tolerant of adverse conditions including air pollution and coastal sea spray.  Plant in shade or north exposure for winter protection.  Works well planted under taller shrubs, in containers, or in borders.  It even makes a good houseplant.  Propagates by softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings. Variegated cultivars are available.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

IVY BERRIES

Hedera helix (common ivy, English ivy, European ivy, or just ivy) is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to most of Europe and western Asia. A rampant, clinging evergreen vine, it is a familiar sight in gardens, waste spaces, on house walls, tree trunks and in wild areas across its native habitat. It is labelled as an invasive species in a number of areas where it has been introduced.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

IVY

It's been a good season for ivy this year and the plants all around our suburb are full of distinctive green flowers. They provide much nectar for insects and I expect we'll have lots of black ivy berries later once Autumn advances.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.