Araliaceae

Fatsia

Fatsia japonica (Thunb.) Decne. & Planch.

Family: Araliaceae
Genus: Fatsia

Pets and kids

CatsSafe
DogsSafe
KidsSafe

Why

Cats: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Japanese Aralia - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Fatsia japonica (Big-leaf Paper Plant, Fatsia, Glossy-Leaved Paper Plant, Japanese Aralia, Japanese Fatsia, Paper Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Pla University or extension

Dogs: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Japanese Aralia - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Fatsia japonica (Big-leaf Paper Plant, Fatsia, Glossy-Leaved Paper Plant, Japanese Aralia, Japanese Fatsia, Paper Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Pla University or extension

Kids: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Fatsia (Fatsia japonica) — FlowerPhoto: Michael Berardozzi, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Is Fatsia safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Fatsia safe for cats?

Our sources call Fatsia non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Japanese Aralia - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Fatsia japonica (Big-leaf Paper Plant, Fatsia, Glossy-Leaved Paper Plant, Japanese Aralia, Japanese Fatsia, Paper Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Pla University or extension

Is Fatsia safe for dogs?

Our sources call Fatsia non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Japanese Aralia - Toxic and Non-toxic Plants - ASPCA ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Fatsia japonica (Big-leaf Paper Plant, Fatsia, Glossy-Leaved Paper Plant, Japanese Aralia, Japanese Fatsia, Paper Plant) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Pla University or extension

Is Fatsia safe for kids?

Our sources call Fatsia non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (21)

Afrikaans: Vingerplant, Aralia, Fatsia
arz: فاتسيا جابونيكا
Basque: Japoniar fatsia
Bulgarian: Японска фатсия
Catalan: Aràlia del Japó
Cebuano: Aralia
Chinese: 八角金盘, 八角金盤
Dutch: Vingerplant
English: Fatsia, Japanese aralia, Paperplant, False castor oil plant
Finnish: Huonearalia
French: Faux-aralia
German: Zimmeraralie
Hungarian: Japán arália
Japanese: ヤツデ, 八つ手, 八手
Korean: 팔손이
Persian: آرالیای برگپهن
Russian: Фатсия японская
Slovenian: Sobna aralija, Japonska fatsija
Swedish: Aralia
Turkish: Fatsiya
Welsh: Ffatsia

Synonyms

Aralia brownii André
Aralia japonica Thunb.
Aralia sieboldii K.Koch
Aralia sieboldii unranked moseri J.R.Duncan & V.C.Davies
Aralia sieboldii var. variegata J.Dix
Dimorphanthus japonicus (Thunb.) Endl.
Echinopanax japonicus (Thunb.) Kuntze
Fatsia japonica var. liukiuensis Hatus. ex H.Ohba
Fatsia japonica var. lobulata Makino

Flowers

In flower: April to May, November to January (from 259 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Michael Berardozzi, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Tony Wills, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: WATANABE Hitoshi 渡辺仁, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: florawhite, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Fernando Losada Rodríguez, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Carla Hartl, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Chris Ecroyd, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: frederic.rouanet, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Timur Kalininsky, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Fatsia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.