Does anyone know where I can get or have more information on this plant? I found one and haven't decided if I am going to get it or not. Does it come in a variegated form?
Polyscias scutellaria
You got my attention with the scutellaria name because I grow a variety of scutellaria.
Is this the plant you have in mind? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55551/ If so, it is available in variegated. My reference indicates available in creamy white/green P. marginata or yellow green P. Pennockii.
The variegated plants don't look like the leaves cup as well as the green one. That will be the main reason I would buy one of these plants.
Do you know if will grow in zone 9b or should I keep it in a pot to be put in our gh for the winter. It can get down at times to 26 degrees, but not often. I really haven't been able to find out much information about this particular plant. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks podster.
margie
Margie-I think that it will not do well in below freezing weather. The info on it said it was hardy to zone 10, and the only place that I have seen it grow is Hawaii, so I think that you will have to keep it in a pot. Although it grows in a very upright way, you can cut it back and it will branch easily-and you can easily propagate it from cuttings. It should be a easy plant to grow-people in Hawaii stick it in the ground and forget about it.
What else do you need/want to know about it? :)
Here are a few links http://www.rhapisgardens.com/ming-aralias/
http://books.google.com/books?id=-t-OAWurUdcC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&dq=polyscias&source=web&ots=UgE0AE1xQG&sig=SBDeMPeaVKAu82C9HoqKisLrMLI#PPA84,M1
http://www.botany.com/polyscias.html
http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/plantfacts/polycias.htm
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/polyscias_guilfoylei.htm
http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week163.shtml
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/houseplt/msg031444551431.html
Some of the varieties of polyscias seem to give some of the people in some of the above links trouble as a houseplant. That surprised me-but I guess there is a world of difference between the climate in Hawaii and houses on the mainland!
Great links tigerlily. That will help me out some. As it stands, I think I will put it in part sun, because our sun and heat can be a killer here. I will put it in the GH during the winter. Once I propagate some plants from it and get them going I will try one in the ground. I do have some zone10 tropicals in the ground and they are doing fine. I really have to mulch them in the winter. I don't want to chance the mother plant but will try it with one of the offspring's.
Now one description says it is drought tolerant and another says to not let it dry out. Which do you find is the case?
Is the plant I posted a picture of the only one that have leafs that form such deep cups or is there a variegated form identical to this plant with deep firm cups?
Thank y'all for any help you can give me.
margie
The more I read about them, the less I can answer you! There are a ton of different ones in the polyscias family, and the one that you have is different than the common ones (in Hawaii) that were used for hedges, that were also grown out in full sun, and could handle some drought (although established plants).
I think in the gardenweb link-some people were having trouble with watering/humidity issues-but that was with the Ming aralia (feathery leaf). I think yours is tougher, and will be easier to grow. I would start at least one cutting as soon as you get it and then you can experiment with watering/light/hardiness as you said.
I don't remember ever seeing a variegated one with cupped leaves like yours.
This is the first time I have ever seen a plant exactly like this in the nurseries in our area. I was drawn to the deep cups. I still can't find the exact one on the internet unless it is in a different language. I am going to take all the information everyone has given me and just experiment.
Thanks again,
margie