About Fatsia japonica (Thunb.) Decne. & Planch.
This species, Fatsia japonica (Thunb.) Decne. & Planch., is an evergreen shrub that reaches 1–5 m (3 ft 3 in – 16 ft 5 in) in height, and has stout, sparsely branched stems. Its leaves are spirally arranged, large, and leathery, measuring 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) wide, and grow on petioles up to 50 cm (20 in) long. The leaves are palmately lobed, with 7–9 broad lobes divided halfway to two-thirds of the way to the leaf base, and the lobes have edges lined with coarse, blunt teeth. It produces small white flowers carried in dense terminal compound umbels in late autumn or early winter, and these are followed by small black fruit in spring. It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions where winter temperatures do not drop below roughly −15 °C (5 °F). Fatsia japonica grows well in semi-shade to full-shade, and is winter hardy in USDA Zones 8–10. It can be cultivated as an indoor plant, and studies have shown it effectively removes gaseous formaldehyde from indoor air. The standard species and its cultivar F. japonica 'Variegata' have both received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. 'Spider's Web' (alternatively called 'Spider White') is a rare variegated-leaf ornamental cultivar. It grows slower than the original species, and reaches a lower maximum mature height of 2.5 m (8.2 ft). Its dark-green leaves have heavy white flecking, most prominent along the edges, though white variegation may occasionally spread across the entire leaf. Variegation can change with the seasons and as the plant ages. It produces terminal clusters of white flowers in autumn, followed by black berries.
