Polyscias samoensis

Family: Araliaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It can grow up to 7 m tall. The leaves are compound with an odd number of leaflets. The leaflets are arranged along the stalk. The leaf stalk can be 1 m long and has a sheath at the base and is swollen at the nodes. There are 11-17 leaflets opposite each other. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 9-22 cm long. They are almost heart shaped at the base and taper to the tip. The edges are wavy. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves or at the top of the branches. They are 50 cm long and have branches in rings. The flowers are small and greenish.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland forest.

Countries/locations it is found in

American Samoa, Micronesia, Pacific, Pohnpei, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Afia, Tagitagi

Synonyms

Arthrophyllum kaltenbachii Riedl & Riedl-Dom; Cheirodendron samoense (A. Gray) Seem.; Nothopanax samoense (A. Gray) Seem.; Nothopanax samoensis (A. Gray) Seem.; Panax samoense A. Gray; Panax samoensis A. Gray;