Sinopanax. When I first saw this species in the garden of Ozzie Johnson, Marietta, GA, it was an awe-inspiring moment. Its large Fatsia-like leaves with their brown indumentum undersides and the matt green upper surface and distinct lobbed margins, showed its relations to the other genera in the family Araliaceae. It makes a really striking statement in the garden. It is unfamiliar enough to baffle your gardening friends. I think in the Southeast, it would appreciate some shade along with good drainage and uniform moisture. As the name indicates, it is a native of Taiwan, but on high enough elevations that gives it a degree of cold hardiness. Most references seem to indicate that it is somewhat cold tender, but Ozzie lives in Marietta, Ga, which is probably a zone 7b, and it has gotten quite large with no cold damage. Our stock plants in unprotected 3 gallon pots have survived the low teens. We are presently rooting all of our stock, but I have recently acquired another clone, which I hope will eventually lead to seed-set when they eventually flower. When plants are mature, the leaves are larger and far more heavily lobbed than in the first picture. The second picture is the size plants that we are shipping. Zones 7b-10 Zones 7-9
