Ming Aralia is a tropical evergreen shrub or short tree that is erect and upright and grows up to 25 feet tall in its native habitat of the Southwest Pacific. In NC, it is grown as a houseplant and grows only 6 to 8 feet tall. It needs bright indirect light, warm air temperatures, and medium to high humidity. It can be grown in a variety of soil types, provided it receives good drainage. It will perform best in soil that is neither too wet nor too dry. Allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry before watering. To increase the interior humidity, consider using a humidifier or setting the plant container on a tray of wet pebbles. This plant is prized for its oriental look; the fern-like foliage makes it an excellent specimen for interiorscapes, but large plants are very expensive. Consider the Ming Aralia as an indoor container plant; however, it typically does not flower or produce fruit when grown indoors. It may be used as a tropical plant in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 to 12 as a specimen, accent, or hedge. Quick ID Hints: Leaves are tri-pinnate Leaflets are irregularly lobed and serrated Finely cut foliage Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Monitor of aphids, scales, mealybugs, whiteflies, and nematodes. In wet or overly moist soils, root rot can occur. Mites can appear in dry conditions. More information on Polyscias .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Edible; Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are 1-3 pinnately compound up to 1.5 inches. Leaflets are linear-lanceolate, narrow-ovate or oblong. Apices are acute, toothed, lobed, or irregularly pinnatisect. The leaves are dark green and are clustered near the tips of branches.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
Flowers are in small umbels and green-white. Inflorescence is a panicle up to 6 inches. Flowers can bloom all year round. Flowers and fruits are rarely seen when cultivated as a houseplant.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer; Winter
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit detail
The fruits or drupes are rarely seen in cultivation.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Fairly smooth medium brown bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Stems are smooth, flexible and reddish-brown.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Central Malesia to Southwest Pacific
Distribution
Bangladesh, Borneo, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Myanmar, Puerto Rico, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, and Vietnam
Play value
Easy to Grow
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Shoots
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
Young leaves and shoots can be cooked as a vegetable and flavoring.