CHARACTERISTICS:  The most common names in this family are: false aralea, ming, and balfour. Their leaf shapes range from parsley like, to long thin and blackish, to crinkle, to round and smooth. Jokingly called "marijuana plant" because of it's similarity to the real thing. The false aralia seems more available in stores, but it is hard to keep looking good. The ming and balfour look delicate but are very sturdy.

PRUNING:  Most aralias stay compact. If they become sparse, and you want a bushier plant, cut back the top growth to the next joining leaf, the axil.