[2] The name fatsi is an approximation of the Japanese word for 'eight' (hachi in modern romanization), referring to the eight leaf lobes.

It has been interbred with Hedera helix (common ivy) to produce the intergeneric hybrid × Fatshedera lizei.

[4] This plant[6] and its cultivar F. japonica 'Variegata'[7] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Slower growing than the original species, it reaches a lower maximum height of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) at maturity.

The dark-green leaves are strongly white-flecked, particularly at the edges, though the white variegation may occasionally disperse across the whole leaf.