Scientific Name:
Ficus benjamina
Pronunciation:
FYE-kus ben-juh-MYE-nuh
Common Name:
weeping ficus, weeping fig
Family Name:
Moraceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen, Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, blades elliptic to ovate, 5-8(-12)cm long x 2-4(-6)cm wide, apex long pointed tip, glossy, leathery with undulating margin, petioles 1-2cm long, stipules narrow, shedding; branchlets thin and weak; bark smooth, pale greyish-brown (potted plants may have trunks twisted or braided).
Habit:
Arching, Upright
Form:
Irregular, Oval - vertical, Weeping
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Indoor plant, Specimen plant
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Caudate
Bases:
Cuneate, Obtuse
Margins:
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
Florets in a syconium (rarely formed locally)
Fruit Type:
Multiple fruit
Fruit Colour:
Orange, Red, Black
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Fruit rarely forms on potted plants. Called a syconium, a fruit type only found in figs - formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface.
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Tan
Leaf Scar Shape:
Round
Organ Modifications:
Stipule, leafy
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Hardwood cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
High
Maintenance:
Medium
Other:
Leaf drop common: Gradual = low light; sudden = drought.
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Galls, Mites, Scale insects
