A "new" Schefflera. S. 'Amate'
I bought this because I wondered if it was Schefflera puckleri (mislabeled) like I had for decades?..mine died for no obvious reason in 2010..about 32 years old it was. The pot said Schefflera arboricola amate..and I had never heard of that and thought it must be a pot left over from selling Schefflera arboricola's many small varieties. I search the internet and lo and behold...its a real hybrid of S. actinophylla and S.arboricola. From what little I could find..it has the larger leaflets,but a much more compact narrow growth then the world wide loved "Octopus tree". One website said the hybrid "Does not flower"..that's kind of disappointing since S.actinophylla has as you all know, a spectacular bloom. So does S.arboricola,but mine has never flowered in the bay area,and I've never seen one flower- even on tree sized plants. Yet in warmer climes they flower in pots! One thing about Amate..its already branching. That reminds me of Schefflera puckleri,since Schefflera actinophylla is more of a stick at this size.
Well,so much to learn..full sun? Frost tolerance?. Growth rate?