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Heptapleurum calyptratum (Mallet Flower) - A tropical looking evergreen tree native that grows to 15-40 feet tall with red-stalked palmately-lobed leaves composed of 7 to 12 large glossy ovate leaves that radiate out and then droop over. The green flower buds, in groups of 6 to 10 begin developing in spring and summer. In late fall to winter leathery caps drop off of the 1 inch wide 4-sided base of the flowers to expose the many green stamens. This base turns brown and persists on the plant, looking like little mallets, giving rise to the common name "mallet flower".
Plant in full sun to light shade and give moderate water, less so when growing in shade. Hardy to about 28 ° F. A great small to medium sized tree for near frost-free locations in full or part sun. Although interesting in bloom, this plant is best known for its attractive foliage and is not nearly as showy in flower as the red flowering octopus tree, Schefflera actinophylla, which it resembles otherwise.
Heptapleurum calyptratum grows naturally in wet tropical forests from Assam in northeastern India, to South Yunnan, China and Indo-China. It was long grown in California as Tupidanthus calyptratus, which was a monotypic genus with the name from the Greek words 'typis' meaning "mallet" and 'anthos' meaning a flower, in reference to the shape of the flower buds and the specific epithet from Latin meaning meaning "bearing a calyptra", the caplike structure covering the flowers. In 1989 botanists moved the plant in into the large genus Schefflera as Schefflera pueckleri with the genus name honoring Jakob Scheffler, a physician in Poland. Most recently this plant, with many other plants previously called Schefflera, was renamed as a species of Heptapleurum, with the specific epithet returning to a variation of that when it was a Tupidanthus as Heptapleurum calyptratum. The name for this genus comes from the Greek words 'hepta' meaning "seven" and 'pleuron' meaning "side" or "rib" in reference to the number of leaflets of the type plant. We grew this plant from 1989 until 2013 and will forever still think of this plant as Tupidanthus calyptratus.
The information displayed on this page about Heptapleurum calyptratum is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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