Umbrella Tree

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Three to four hours of sun a day through a sheer, in an east, south, or west window, is ideal. Medium light keeps it alive, though it gets leggy, with long bare stretches of stem between the umbrellas.

In Taiwan and Hainan it grows as a scrambling shrub in the wet tropics (Kew), and indoors it wants its light softened first. NC State warns that bright, direct light through a window will burn its leaves, even though the same plant can take some full sun outdoors.

Once nights stay above 60 degrees, it can summer outside in a sheltered spot (NC State). Chicago nights can stay under 60 into late spring and drop below it again by early fall, so watch the forecast on both ends of the season.

Give it the glow of a curtained window, and spare it the glare.

A thorough soak roughly every 7-10 days in summer and 10-14 in winter, with the top of the soil drying between. Empty the saucer afterward; soggy soil rots the roots.

Its native range is the wet tropics of Taiwan and Hainan (Kew), and NC State notes it likes high humidity. In winter, keep it clear of the radiator’s dry blast.

When it does get a drink, NC State’s advice is to soak it thoroughly, so the whole root ball wets rather than one channel down the side.

Pot it in a loose mix with plenty of organic matter, as NC State recommends.

Gone for a while? Two weeks is fine if it’s watered the day you leave. Much longer, and it starts dropping leaves.

Umbrellas of leaflets on a dense, bushy frame that steadily fills out 4-6 feet high and as wide. A floor plant for a curtained window; pinch the stem tips and it branches denser instead of taller.

NC State describes its form as dense, rounded, and vase-⁠like: narrow at the pot and widest where the umbrellas open, so it can stand in a corner and still reach over the arm of a chair.

Several named forms are sold, so read the tag: 'Gold Capella' and 'Trinette' are marked with yellow or cream, and 'Compacta' stays smaller and tighter (NC State).

It’s a classic among tropical bonsai, too; NC State’s photos of a Davidson County bonsai garden include one.

A chewed leaf can sting and swell a pet’s mouth, bringing drooling, vomiting, or trouble swallowing. The ASPCA lists it among plants that irritate dogs and cats; for kids, NC State rates it low severity.

The sting comes from insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, microscopic needles in the leaves and stems that prick the lips, tongue, and throat when a pet bites down (Pet Poison Helpline). The soreness usually passes on its own once the chewing stops. Very rarely the throat swells enough to make breathing hard. If that happens, or anything else worries you, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (a fee may apply).

A child who chews a leaf is likely to get a sore mouth or throat at most. If you’re unsure, Poison Control can talk you through it. The sap can bother sensitive skin, so gloves make pruning more comfortable (NC State).

On the floor, its lowest leaves sit right at snout height. Sweep up fallen leaves before a puppy finds them. If yours is a chewer, a plant stand or a room the pets don’t roam lets you keep it.

1. ASPCA: mild for dogs (rates the whole genus).
2. Merck Veterinary Manual: mild for dogs (rates the whole genus).
3. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for dogs.
4. ASPCA: mild for cats (rates the whole genus).
5. Merck Veterinary Manual: mild for cats (rates the whole genus).
6. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for cats.
7. NC State Extension: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: Most of the leading sources agree.

Kids: No poison-centre listing; rated from university extension sources.

Happiest at 65-75°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 60°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. It wants at least 35% humidity.

Temperature

65-75°F

Spider mites hide under the leaves. Mealybugs tuck into leaf axils, petiole joints, and leaflet undersides, and scale sits on stems, petioles, and along leaflet veins. Thrips occasionally visit the leaflet undersides too.

• Spider mites
• Mealybugs
• Scale
• Banded greenhouse thrips

More prone than most: spider mites, mealybugs, and scale can all get going on it, so look under the leaves now and then.

Spider mites leave fine webbing and a dusty, speckled look, worst in warm, dry winter air. Spray it hard with water in the shower, undersides of the leaves included; if they come back, an insecticidal soap is the next step.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton where the leaflets join; scale looks like small brown bumps stuck to the stems and the undersides of leaves. Swab mealybugs off with rubbing alcohol and scrape scale off with a fingernail, then check again next week.

Root rot comes from soil that stays wet: leaves yellow and drop while the pot is still damp. Let it dry out and water less often from then on.

Wipe or rinse the leaflets 4 times a year and feed 4 times in the growing season, less in low light. Pinch stem tips twice during active growth for side shoots, and prune twice to hold its height. Repot when crowded.

• Feed4× a year
• Prune2× a year
• Pinch2× a year
• Repot1× a year
• Clean leaves4× a year

Ordinary potting mix in a pot with a drainage hole. A heavy pot keeps a tall one from tipping.

Repot when the roots crowd the pot, in any season, into a pot one size up.

Feed it regularly through spring and summer, with a liquid houseplant fertilizer or a slow-release one worked into the soil; it’s a leafy grower and uses it.

Each leaf fans out into glossy, waxy leaflets in one plain green, like the spokes of an umbrella. They overlap so thickly on the bushy frame that the soil is hidden.