Brisbane tree guide

Umbrella tree

Heptapleurum actinophyllum · also called Queensland umbrella tree, Octopus tree, Schefflera

The umbrella tree is a fast-growing tree from tropical north Queensland, named for its huge leaves with long leaflets that spread like the ribs of an umbrella. It was a popular garden and indoor plant, but around Brisbane birds spread its seed into bushland, and its roots can damage pipes and foundations. Brisbane City Council lists it as pest vegetation.

Australian native
Brisbane pest plant
6 to 15 m tall
Flowers December to May

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Umbrella tree, from Wikimedia Commons — Photo: coenobita, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Umbrella tree at a glance

Height: 6 to 15 m (up to 20 m in the wild)
Growth: Fast
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: Red, December to May
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: Tropical north Queensland and the Northern Territory, plus New Guinea
Family: Araliaceae

How to identify an umbrella tree

Umbrella tree usually grows as a clump of several smooth, grey trunks with the foliage held near the top. Each leaf has 7 to 16 glossy, oblong leaflets up to 30 cm long, fanning out from the end of a long stalk. In summer and autumn, long red flower spikes radiate above the leaves like the arms of an octopus, carrying many small red flowers, followed by small fruits that ripen dark red to purple. The dwarf umbrella tree is a shrub of 3 to 4 metres with smaller leaflets and greenish-yellow flowers.

Growing an umbrella tree in Brisbane

Umbrella tree is native to tropical Queensland, not the Brisbane region, and here it has become an environmental weed. Birds eat the fruit and drop the seed in bushland, national parks and gardens, and the seeds float and can stay dormant for a long time. It tolerates shade, so seedlings can establish under existing forest and out-compete local plants, and some start life in the forks of large trees. Brisbane City Council lists it as pest vegetation, so it is not a tree to plant.

What to watch out for

Brisbane City Council lists umbrella tree as pest vegetation, and it is regarded as an environmental weed in South East Queensland. Its roots are a problem too: council and Business Queensland warn they can block plumbing joints and pipes and damage footpaths and building foundations, and Unitywater lists it among trees not to plant near pipes. Birds spread the seed widely, so seedlings turn up well away from the parent tree, including in bushland.

Seedlings. Birds spread the seed into bushland and gardens, and seedlings can even sprout in the forks of other trees.

Pruning and care

With an umbrella tree, care means removal. Small plants can be dug out whole. Larger ones are cut down and the stump treated with herbicide, because cut trunks reshoot vigorously. Brisbane City Council's weed guide lists the cut stump method, basal bark treatment and stem injection as control methods. Check under nearby trees and in the forks of large trees for seedlings over the following years. Felling a big multi-trunked tree near a house is a job for a professional.

Umbrella tree: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is the umbrella tree a weed in Queensland?

Yes. Although it is an Australian native, it is regarded as an environmental weed in South East Queensland, and Brisbane City Council lists it as pest vegetation.

Are umbrella tree roots invasive?

Yes. Brisbane City Council and Business Queensland both warn that its roots can block plumbing joints and pipes and damage footpaths and building foundations.

Do I need a permit to remove an umbrella tree in Brisbane?

Brisbane City Council lists it as pest vegetation, so you generally don't need a council permit to remove it, as long as the work doesn't affect a significant landscape tree or damage protected plants nearby.

What can I plant instead of an umbrella tree?

Noosa's Native Plants suggests local natives such as celerywood (Polyscias elegans), native tamarind (Diploglottis australis) or black she-oak (Allocasuarina littoralis).

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Sources and credits

Photo: coenobita, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 5 of the plant profile booklet made for Colourful Tree Lopping in 2013. We checked every fact against current sources and rewrote it for the guide.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.