Fatshedera lizei
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| ×Fatshedera lizei (hort. ex Cochet) Guillaumin |
×Fatshedera lizei is an inter-generic hybrid of flowering plants, commonly known as tree ivy or aralia ivy. It was created by hybridizing Fatsia japonica 'Moserii' (Moser's Japanese Fatsia, the seed parent) and Hedera hibernica (Irish Ivy, the pollen parent) at the Lizé Frères nursery at Nantes in France in 1910. Its generic name is derived from the names of the two parent genera.
The plant combines the shrubby shape of Fatsia with the five-lobed leaves of Hedera. As a shrub, Fatshedera 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 up to 3-4 m tall; unlike Hedera, it does not readily climb without assistance. The leaf blades are 7-25 cm long and broad, with a 5-20 cm petiole. The flowers are 4-6 mm diameter, yellowish-white, produced in late autumn or early winter in dense umbels; they are sterile and do not produce any fruit.
It is grown both as a garden plant outdoors, and as a houseplant indoors, where its tolerance of shady conditions is valued. Inside they will grow 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 cultivars have been selected, with dark green to variously white- or yellow-variegated leaves.
