Tree · Araliaceae

Matchwood

Schefflera morototonii

In this build, matchwood is not on any county’s main native list.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Matchwood at a glance

Native in
0 counties, across 0 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 12a PLANTS minimum temperature 47°F
Mature height
56 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water
Full sun (shade-intolerant) High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 12a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of 47°F; zone 12a winters bottom out at 50°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

In this build, matchwood is not on any county’s main native list.

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit
Tree
Duration
Perennial
Mature height
56 ft
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth form
Single Stem
Shape
Erect
Lifespan
Short
Active growth period
Spring, Summer, Fall

Light and water

Shade tolerance
Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use
High water use
Drought tolerance
Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil
None
Precipitation range
60 to 200 in per year

Soil

Soil textures
Coarse, medium and fine
pH range
4.3 to 6.6
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
Low
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Low
Minimum root depth
42 in

Climate

Minimum temperature
47°F
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 12a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days
365
Fire tolerance
Medium

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color
White
Showy flowers
Yes
Bloom period
Fall
Foliage color
Green
Showy in fall
No
Keeps leaves
No
Fruit color
Purple

Other

Toxicity
None
Nitrogen fixation
None
Nursery availability
No Known Source
Family
Araliaceae
PLANTS symbol
SCMO10

Is it native where you live?

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

Source & data date

Source
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation
USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date
Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope
Schefflera morototonii (PLANTS symbol SCMO10).
Method
A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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