Japanese aralia

An evergreen shrub that grows 1–5 metres tall, with stout, sparsely branched stems. It has large, leathery leaves arranged in a spiral, measuring 20–40 centimetres wide and held on long stalks up to 50 centimetres. Small white flowers appear in dense clusters at the ends of branches in late autumn or early winter, followed by small black fruit in spring.

Hardy and tolerant of semi to full shade, this plant can shade out native vegetation. It establishes in waste areas and spreads through suckers and prolific self‑seeding. The plant is poisonous and allergenic, and its sap can cause contact dermatitis.

Seeds are spread by birds, with further vegetative spread from suckers. It forms dense, multi‑stemmed thickets that prevent native vegetation from regenerating in forests, gullies, gardens, roadsides and rock walls. Fatsia can even grow as an epiphyte.