The compound leaves of Schefflera umbellifera are spirally arranged on the branches near their tips, growing on petioles of up to 25 cm in length, without stipules.
The leaf structure is digitate, bearing three to five oblong to elliptic leaflets on slender cream coloured petiolules (leaflet stalks) that may reach 4 cm in length. A leaflet tip tapers broadly or is rounded or notched; the leaflet base tapers. The leaflet margins are entire or toothed in their upper parts and markedly undulating.
Leaflet surfaces are glossy dark green on top, paler below, hairless and leathery. The leaflet midribs are cream coloured, lateral veins obscure while some net-veining is visible in the photo. Leaflet dimensions range from 7,5 cm to 15 cm long by 2,5 cm to 5 cm wide (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993).