There are about six species of the Ming aralia's genus, Polyscias, that are actively cultivated. The genus is tropical, with some 80 species from the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia. In warm climates they are grown outdoors; magnificent cultivated specimens are found on Caribbean islands. The family to which the Ming aralia belongs -- Araliaceae, the aralia, or ginseng, family --includes a number of popular house plants, such as English ivy, as well as the herb ginseng. (The polyscias were once included in the related genus Aralia.) Polyscias are especially interesting for their foliage -- indeed, the name polyscias means many-shaded, a reference to the luxuriant foliage. Their stalks carry compound leaves with up to seven (or more) opposite leaflets. In several species the leaves are deeply lobed. The leaves are also highly variable, sometimes on the same plant, and frequently variegated.
Tags: Ming, Aralia, Polyscias, fruticosa
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