Generally, the spring and the summer are swarmed with flowers and fruits for most of the trees. However, Ivy Treehas made the difference. It chooses to grow the flowers in autumn and produce the fruits in winter, they become the main food sources in this season, flowers for insects and fruits for birds.
The native tree is co-existing with the ecological environment as well. The butterfly Pale Awlet takes Ivy Tree as its host plant. Winter butterflies are facing the problem of lacking of food in exchange the benefit of fewer predators. Don’t worry, the Ivy Tree will support the Pale Awlet with sufficient food in winter!
In China, Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms is used to soothe irritated skin, contusion and to treat athlete’s foot. A decoction of the roots is used to treat flue, and a tincture is used to treat rheumatism. In Malaysia, a decoction of Schefflera heterophylla (Seem.) Harms is used to aid recovery from childbirth. In Vietnam, the bark and leaves are used to promote urination and the ashes of the plant are used to treat dropsy.
