The genus Fatsia is placed in the Araliaceae family.

Fatsia japonica, commonly known as Japanese Aralia and sometimes referred to as False Castor Oil Plant, is a superb plant for quickly creating a tropical took in your garden or inside. Its huge, shiny, serrated, hand-shaped leaves, up to 30cm wide and its dense foliage, gives it a very tropical look. In autumn it produces attractive branched flowers. These are not fussy plants and happily grow in sun or shade. These easy to grow shrubby plants are surprisingly hardy and can be grown outside in areas with minimum temperatures of -4°Celsius and higher. They eventually reach 3 to 4.5 meters in size. In colder regions, they make for dramatic specimen plants for the patio or as year round houseplants. They are quite striking against a light coloured background, especially at night with illumination.