P. laetus forms a large, evergreen shrub or small tree with palmate leaves, each composed of five or seven glossy stalked leaflets up to 30cm long. The small, greenish-purple flowers appear in winter in umbels up to 20cm across followed on female plants that have been pollinated, by small purple-black fruit.
 
This plant occurs naturally in forest margins and scrubland and will there grow to 15ft in height. In cultivation it will grow happily either in the open or in dappled shade growing to 10ft in height and spread.
 
In common with all Pseudopanax, they can be found as epiphytes in their native New Zealand.
 
Supplied as a small plants 30-40cm in height, root is bagged up.