Common Name: miagos bush
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Araliaceae
Native Range: Philippines
Zone: 10 to 11
Height: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to September
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Annual
Leaf: Evergreen
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Tolerate: Drought
Culture
Easily grown in evenly moist, loamy, well-draining soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a wide range of sun and soil conditions as long as good drainage is provided. Hardy in Zones 10-11.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Osmoxylon lineare, commonly called miagos bush or green aralia, is an evergreen shrub endemic to the Philippines but can be found in cultivation throughout the tropics and subtropics. Mature stands can reach up to 10' tall with a similar spread. The upright branches are topped with clusters of glossy, deeply cut foliage. The leaves appear to be palmately compound but are in fact entire, made up of four to six narrow, linear segments that can reach 8" long and 0.5" wide. Terminal, compound umbels of small, white flowers bloom mostly in summer and are followed by contrasting round, black fruits. The fruits are attractive to birds.
The genus name Osmoxylon comes from the Greek roots osmo meaning "fragrant" and xylon meaning "wood", possibly in reference to the odor of the wood of some members of this genus.
The specific epithet lineare means "linear" and refers to the shape of the foliar segments of this species.
The origins of the common names of this species are disputed.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems.
Uses
Suitable for use as a screen or specimen plant.