That's exactly what it is, Petrushka! What a stunning plant. I've never seen one in person, but have enjoyed viewing all of the pictures on the internet, thanks to you.

i took a cutting in the hotel (under cover of the nite and watchfully observing the site for maids) - just couldn't help myself. and flew it in the suitcase :). well, 3 cuttings to be on the safe side. it grew bagged for a year. it's about 3 years old now and almost 3 ' from the pot. i bag it for winter to maintain warmth. and dote on it. i seemed to find it on all kinds of foreign sites: german, japanese, russian, turkish, but no american. seems nobody here is growing it. although in hawaii it seems abandant. did you see a variegated and golden ones? stunners!
just out of curiosity, do they allow you to take cuttings of plants with you on the plane OUT of hawaii? i know, they don't allow anything IN-coming.

Nope to the illegal transport of cuttings and nope to the swiping of cuttngs from a plant that does not belong to you.

The rules of common morality suggests that you ASK before taking cuttings, whether from a parking lot, a restaurant, a hotel, a garden center, etc. I've asked hundreds of times over the years and have only been refused once.

je-ez, good for you!

Well, I don't think I told you anything you didn't already know. If you ask, you won't have to sneak "under cover of night ", lol.

So may I ask pls. is this fern leaf Aralia related to the Ming Aralia (Polyscia Ming)? & my beloved Balfour Aralia (of which I just lost my last small pot?) Very nice plant.

ming is fruticosa. yeh, they're all related.
rhizo, i was jesting, overdramatizing a little. perhaps, if i put a smilie it would help. it's literally the only cutting i ever took and i have absolutely no qualms about it. lets leave it at that.