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Species library › Ficus › Ficus asperifolia
Other Partly documented

Ficus asperifolia

A scrambling shrub or small tree up to about 6 m, native across tropical Africa from Senegal to Kenya and south to Zambia. It has rough, sandpaper-like leaves and orange to red figs about 2 cm across. It grows at the edges of gallery forest and in savanna, so it wants warmth, strong light and a drier rest in the cool season.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Savanna and the edges of gallery (riverine) forest, often scrambling through other vegetation. It grows in the bright zone between closed forest and open grassland, where the soil stays moist near streams even in the dry season.

Recorded at 2–2000 m, median 500 m (435 records). Most records are from the lowland and plateau country of West and Central Africa.

West Africa (Senegal to Nigeria)Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo basin, CAR, Chad)East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, South Sudan)Angola and Zambia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.