Polyscias

Polyscias
Polyscias guilfoylei & Polyscias fruticosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae
Subfamily: Aralioideae
Genus: Polyscias
J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.[1]
Species

See text

Synonyms[1]
28 synonyms
  • Arthrophyllum Blume
  • Bonnierella R.Vig.
  • Botryopanax Miq.
  • Cuphocarpus Decne. & Planch.
  • Dipanax Seem.
  • Eremopanax Baill.
  • Eupteron Miq.
  • Gastonia Comm. ex Lam.
  • Gelibia Hutch.
  • Grotefendia Seem.
  • Indokingia Hemsl.
  • Irvingia F.Muell.
  • Kissodendron Seem.
  • Maralia Thouars
  • Montagueia Baker f.
  • Munroidendron Sherff
  • Nesodoxa Calest.
  • Nothopanax Miq.
  • Oligoscias Seem.
  • Palmervandenbroekia Gibbs
  • Peekeliopanax Harms
  • Pterotropia W.F.Hillebr.
  • Reynoldsia A.Gray
  • Sciadopanax Seem.
  • Shirleyopanax Domin
  • Tetraplasandra A.Gray
  • Tieghemopanax R.Vig.
  • Triplasandra Seem.

Polyscias is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae with a natural distribution from tropical Africa through Southeast Asia and Australia to islands of the Pacific. As of February 2026, Plants of the World Online recognises 28 synonyms and about 180 species for the genus.[1]

Description

They are shrubs, trees or (rarely) lianes, which are mostly evergreen or occasionally deciduous. The leaves are alternate and have a membraneous or winged sheathing base of the petioles. Stipules are either absent or vestigial. Leaf morphology is varied: they may be undivided or pinnate, bipinnate or tripinnate, and the margins may be entire, toothed or lobed.[2][3]

Flower characters are likewise varied, and inflorescences may be erect or pendant, and take the form of panicles, umbels, racemes, or whorls.

Taxonomy

The genus was erected in 1776 by Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster, to accommodate a plant specimen they had collected in the South Pacific.[3][4]

Etymology

The name Polyscias is derived from the Greek words πολύς (polys), 'many', and skias, 'shade' or 'umbrella', and is a reference to the foliage of the plants.[5]

Cultivation

There are about six species of the genus Polyscias that are actively cultivated. The genus contains a variety of tropical plants, which include about 80 species from the Pacific islands and Southeast Asia.[5]

Selected species

Main article: List of Polyscias species

Endangered and critically endangered species

The following species are endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CR). List may be incomplete.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Polyscias J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". Plants of the World Online. Plants of the World Online, facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  2. ^ Kubitzki, Klaus; Kadereit, Joachim W.; Bittrich, Volker, eds. (1998). "Araliaceae". Flowering Plants, Eudicots : Apiales, Gentianales (except Rubiaceae). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 15. Berlin: Springer. pp. 435–436. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-93605-5. ISBN 978-3-319-93604-8.
  3. ^ a b Lowry, P.P.; Plunkett, G.M. (2010). "Recircumscription of Polyscias (Araliaceae) to include six related genera, with a new infrageneric classification and a synopsis of species". Plant Diversity and Evolution. 128 (1–2): 61. doi:10.1127/1869-6155/2010/0128-0003.
  4. ^ Forster, J.R. (1776). Characteres generum plantarum, quas in itinere ad insulas maris Australis. London: B. White, T. Cadell, & P. Elmsly. p. 63.
  5. ^ a b "Polyscias". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. North Carolina State University. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  6. ^ Mugo, C. R. "Polyscias spp". Earth's Endangered Creatures. earthsendangered.com. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  • Media related to Polyscias at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Polyscias at Wikispecies


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