Australia umbrella tree

Schefflera actinophylla

''Schefflera actinophylla'' is a tree in the Araliaceae family. It is native to tropical rainforests and gallery forests in Australia , New Guinea and Java. Common names include Australia umbrella tree, Queensland umbrella tree, octopus tree and amate.
Umbrella tree - schefflera actinophylea I have seen this plant many times , even as a pot plant. This is the first time I see it as a big tree and in flower.
It obviously was not in its rainforest habitat but still very impressive. Australia,Geotagged,Schefflera actinophylla,Summer

Appearance

''S. actinophylla'' is an evergreen tree growing to 15 m tall. It has palmately compound medium green leaves in groups of seven leaflets. It is usually multi-trunked, and the flowers develop at the top of the tree. It often grows as a hemiepiphyte on other rainforest trees. It produces racemes up to 2 m long containing up to 1,000 small dull red flowers. Flowering begins in early summer and typically continues for several months.

The specific epithet ''actinophylla'' means "with radiating leaves".

Habitat

The up to 1,000 flowers produced by the plant generate large amounts of nectar, attracting honey-eating birds which pollinate them. The fruits are eaten by many birds and animals including musky rat-kangaroos, red-legged pademelons and spectacled flying foxes. Its leaves are a favourite food of the Bennett's tree-kangaroo.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderApiales
FamilyAraliaceae
GenusSchefflera
SpeciesS. actinophylla
Photographed in
Australia