Fatshedera vs Fatsia Japonica: What Is the Difference?

Fatshedera lizei is a hybrid shrub created by crossing Fatsia japonica with English ivy.

Fatsia japonica is the true parent species, a rounded evergreen shrub with large seven to nine lobed leaves.

Fatshedera has smaller five lobed leaves and a sprawling, semi climbing habit.

Fatshedera also tolerates lower light and cooler indoor temperatures than Fatsia japonica.

You bought a plant labelled fatsia at the garden centre, and it does not look right.

The leaves seem smaller and less deeply cut, and the whole plant wants to flop over and lean on the nearest thing it can find.

You are not imagining it, and you have not killed anything yet.

Garden centres mix up fatshedera and fatsia japonica constantly, because they sit on the same shelf, need the same shady spot, and look similar from a distance.

The mislabelling causes real problems once you get the plant home.

Fatsia care advice does not fully apply to fatshedera, and treating one plant like the other leads to leggy growth, weak stems, or a shrub that never fills out the way you expected.

This guide walks through every visible difference between the two plants, why the confusion happens in the first place, and exactly which one is the better fit for your space.

Fatshedera vs Fatsia Japonica at a Glance

Use this table for a fast comparison before reading the detail below.

What Is Fatsia Japonica

Fatsia japonica is a true species in the Araliaceae family, native to the coastal woodlands of Japan and Korea.

Gardeners also know it as Japanese aralia or the paper plant.

It grows as a rounded, self supporting evergreen shrub with stout, sparsely branched stems.

In the right spot it reaches 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, and mature specimens in mild coastal gardens can push past that.

The name fatsia comes from an approximation of the Japanese word for eight, a reference to the leaf lobes.

Left alone, fatsia japonica builds its own woody structure and never needs a stake, trellis, or support of any kind.

For a full breakdown of how to keep one healthy long term, see this Fatsia japonica care guide, which covers watering, feeding, and yearly maintenance in more depth than this comparison can.

What Is Fatshedera Lizei

Fatshedera lizei is not a species at all. It is an intergeneric hybrid, created in 1912 at the Lize Freres tree nursery in Nantes, France, by crossing Fatsia japonica with English ivy, Hedera helix.

The cross sign in its name, x Fatshedera, signals that it is a hybrid between two different genera rather than two varieties of the same plant.

That is genuinely unusual in the plant world.

The result behaves like neither parent fully. It has ivy shaped leaves on a plant that cannot climb the way ivy climbs.

Fatshedera has no aerial roots and cannot attach itself to a wall or fence.

Its stems grow upright for a while, then flop over under their own weight once they reach around 2 to 3 feet.

Left unsupported, it becomes a sprawling ground cover rather than a tidy shrub.

How to Tell the Leaves Apart

Leaf shape is the fastest and most reliable way to identify which plant you have, and it works even on a young specimen without flowers.

Lobe count

Fatsia japonica leaves typically have seven to nine lobes, occasionally up to eleven on a mature, well fed plant.

Fatshedera leaves almost always have exactly five lobes, matching the leaf count of its ivy parent.

Size and depth of cut

Fatsia leaves grow considerably larger, often 10 to 14 inches across on a mature plant, and the lobes are cut more than halfway to the leaf base.

Fatshedera leaves stay smaller, closer to 8 inches, and the cuts between lobes are shallower. The overall shape reads as closer to a large ivy leaf than a fatsia leaf.

New growth clues

In spring, fatshedera puts out new growth covered in a fine layer of rusty brown hairs.

Fatsia does not produce this hairy new growth, which makes April and May an easy time to tell the two apart.

Growth Habit: Shrub Versus Sprawling Climber

This is the difference that causes the most disappointment for new growers, because it only becomes obvious after a year or two of growth.

Fatsia japonica builds a genuinely woody, self supporting structure from its first year.

It never needs staking, and pruning is only ever about shaping, not support.

Fatshedera stems are thinner and more pliable. They grow upright at first, then flop and sprawl once they get much beyond knee height.

Many gardeners assume their fatshedera is sick or under fed when really it is simply behaving normally for its type.

If you want an upright, tidy fatshedera, tie the stems loosely to a support as they grow.

The technique is the same idea used to stake a leaning monstera, and the same principle used when you train a monstera to climb: tie loosely, check the ties every few weeks, and let the plant thicken naturally rather than forcing it.

Left untied, fatshedera makes an excellent shady ground cover or trailing plant for a raised bed, since it roots where the stems touch soil and spreads outward over time.

Size and Growth Rate Compared

Hardiness and Climate Differences

Fatsia japonica is the hardier of the two plants once established.

It tolerates winter temperatures down to around 0 to 10 Fahrenheit, roughly USDA zone 7b to 8, and shrugs off short cold snaps that would damage many other broadleaf evergreens.

Fatshedera is noticeably more tender.

New growth suffers damage below 20 Fahrenheit, older growth is damaged below 15 Fahrenheit, and the whole plant is usually killed outright once temperatures drop below 10 Fahrenheit.

In practice, this means fatsia can be a permanent garden shrub across a wider range of US climates, while fatshedera is safest as a container plant that spends winter indoors or in a sheltered spot outside the mildest zones.

For a full seasonal breakdown, including how to protect an outdoor fatsia through a hard frost, see this Fatsia japonica winter hardiness guide.

Growth habit and hardiness details for fatsia japonica are corroborated by the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, a university extension resource.

Light, Soil, and Water Compared

Both plants prefer shade, but fatshedera tolerates considerably less light than fatsia and this is the reason it works well as a houseplant.

For precise watering and soil guidance on the true species, see how to water a fatsia japonica and the best soil for fatsia japonica. Positioning advice is covered in this guide to the best position for fatsia japonica.

Which One Should You Grow

If you want a permanent, structural garden shrub that needs almost no ongoing intervention, fatsia japonica is the better choice in nearly every case.

It holds its shape without staking, tolerates colder winters, and gives you the bold, tropical looking foliage most people picture when they think of this plant.

Choose fatshedera instead if you specifically want a trailing houseplant, something to train against a low trellis, or a plant that tolerates a darker corner than fatsia can handle.

Do not choose fatshedera expecting fatsia japonica’s upright, self supporting shape.

That expectation is the single most common reason people call fatshedera a disappointing plant, when really it was never bred to grow that way.

Common Misidentification Problems

Garden centre labelling is the root cause of most confusion, and cultivar names make it worse rather than better.

Variegated forms exist for both plants. Fatsia ‘Spider’s Web’ has fine white speckling across a green leaf, while fatshedera ‘Variegata’ and ‘Annemieke’ have bold cream or yellow margins.

A variegated fatshedera is sometimes sold simply as variegated ivy tree, with no mention of fatshedera at all.

If a plant tag simply says tree ivy, pia, or botanical wonder, it is almost always fatshedera rather than fatsia, since these nicknames refer specifically to the hybrid.

For a closer look at fatsia’s own cultivar range, see this guide to fatsia japonica varieties, which also flags which named forms are sometimes mislabelled as fatshedera in nurseries.

Propagation Differences

Both plants root from stem cuttings, but fatshedera roots noticeably faster thanks to its ivy parentage, often producing visible roots within two to three weeks in water or moist compost.

Fatsia japonica takes longer, typically four to six weeks, and benefits from a rooting hormone dip on the cut end to improve success rates on woodier stem sections.

Full step by step instructions, including the best time of year to take cuttings, are in this guide to propagating fatsia japonica.

The general cutting technique is similar to propagating a pothos in water, if you have grown that plant before and want a familiar comparison.

Common Problems Compared

Both plants are generally low maintenance, but they do not fail in identical ways, and knowing which problem belongs to which plant speeds up diagnosis.

Yellowing leaves on a true fatsia are most often overwatering or a sudden light change, covered in detail in why fatsia japonica leaves turn yellow. A broader troubleshooting list is in common fatsia japonica problems and fatsia japonica pests and diseases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is fatshedera the same plant as ivy?

No, fatshedera is not the same as English ivy, though ivy is one of its two parent plants.

Fatshedera is a hybrid between Fatsia japonica and Hedera helix, created deliberately by nursery growers in 1912.

It shares ivy’s five lobed leaf shape but has none of ivy’s climbing ability, since it lacks the aerial roots that let true ivy attach to walls and trees.

Fatshedera also grows as a shrubby, sprawling plant rather than a true climbing vine, which is the main visible difference from ivy in the garden.

Why does my fatsia japonica have five lobed leaves like fatshedera?

Young fatsia japonica plants often produce leaves with only five lobes before the plant matures, which is a common source of confusion.

As the plant ages and puts on size, new leaves typically develop more lobes, eventually reaching the usual seven to nine seen on mature specimens.

If your plant is under two years old and has five lobed leaves but stands upright without flopping, it is most likely a young fatsia rather than a fatshedera.

Does fatshedera climb like ivy does?

Fatshedera does not climb the way true ivy does, because it has no aerial roots to grip onto walls, fences, or tree bark.

It is best described as a scandent sprawler rather than a climber. Its stems will lean and grow through and over nearby plants or supports, but they cannot attach themselves independently.

If you want it to grow upright against a trellis or wall, you need to tie the stems in place yourself as they grow, checking and loosening ties every few weeks so they do not cut into the stem.

Which is better as a houseplant, fatsia or fatshedera?

Fatshedera is generally the better indoor houseplant, because it tolerates lower light levels and cooler room temperatures than fatsia japonica.

Fatsia japonica can be grown indoors too, particularly when young, but it eventually wants more light and space than most indoor rooms comfortably provide.

If you have a shady corner with only moderate light, fatshedera is more likely to thrive there long term than a full sized fatsia.

Can you tell fatshedera and fatsia japonica apart from their flowers?

Yes, though flowers are a less practical identifier since both plants flower only occasionally and often not at all indoors.

Fatsia japonica produces rounded clusters of small white flowers in autumn, followed by black berries the following spring.

Fatshedera also produces small white flower clusters in autumn, but it flowers far less reliably than fatsia and mature specimens are needed before flowering happens at all.

How do I fix a leggy, floppy fatshedera?

A leggy fatshedera is usually behaving completely normally rather than showing a problem, since sprawling growth is built into how the plant grows.

If you want a tidier, more upright shape, pinch out the growing tips of long stems in spring to encourage branching lower down the plant.

Tying stems loosely to a cane or small trellis as they grow will also train the plant into a more upright form over one or two growing seasons.

Are fatshedera and fatsia japonica related to other houseplants I might already own?

Yes, both belong to the Araliaceae family, which also includes several popular houseplants such as Schefflera and English ivy itself.

They are not related to Monstera or Pothos, despite some surface similarities in leaf shape, since those plants belong to the completely separate Araceae family.

Understanding the family a plant belongs to can help you guess its general light and water preferences, since related plants often share similar native growing conditions.

Can fatshedera and fatsia japonica be planted together in the same bed?

Yes, they grow well together, since both prefer the same shaded, moisture retentive conditions and neither competes aggressively with the other.

A common design approach is to use fatsia japonica as the tall structural anchor at the back of a shaded border, with fatshedera trailing along the front edge or over a low wall.

Keep an eye on fatshedera’s spread over time, since its sprawling stems will root where they touch soil and can gradually cover more ground than expected.

Key Takeaways

• Count the leaf lobes first. Seven to nine lobes points to fatsia japonica, five lobes points to fatshedera.
• Check the growth habit. Fatsia stands upright on its own. Fatshedera flops and sprawls without support.
• Fatsia is hardier outdoors, surviving down to around 0 to 10 Fahrenheit once established.
• Fatshedera is more tender and is usually killed by temperatures below 10 Fahrenheit.
• Choose fatshedera for low light indoor spots and trailing or trained growth.
• Choose fatsia japonica for a permanent, structural shade shrub that needs no staking.
• A young fatsia can show five lobed leaves, so check growth habit too before assuming it is fatshedera.
• Treat fatshedera with more caution around pets than fatsia japonica, due to its ivy parentage.

Final Thoughts

The mislabelled plant that started this whole question usually turns out fine either way, once you know which one you actually have and adjust your care to match.

Fatsia japonica and fatshedera lizei are close relatives with genuinely different personalities.

One stands on its own and asks for very little. The other leans, sprawls, and rewards a bit of guidance with a much tidier shape.

Neither is the wrong choice. They simply do different jobs in a garden or a room, and now you know exactly which one is sitting on your shelf.