Sign in Start free
Species library › Ficus › Ficus benjamina
Other Well documented

Ficus benjamina

Weeping fig

A tropical fig tree from South and South-East Asia to northern Australia that reaches 30 m in the wild, and one of the most common indoor trees. It does best in bright light and steady warmth, and it is notorious for dropping leaves when moved or when its light changes. Keep it in one bright spot, water it moderately and keep it out of drafts.

Ficus benjamina
Photo: KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A large tree of tropical and subtropical forest, reaching 30 m with drooping branches and a spreading crown up to 10 m across. Like many figs it can start life as an epiphyte and send roots down to the ground, and adult trees stand in full sun at the top of the canopy. It has also naturalised in the West Indies, Florida and elsewhere.

The 218 records with an elevation span sea level to 1802 m, median 194 m. The weighted measured sites are at 33–525 m.

IndiaHimalayaSouthern ChinaIndochinaMalesiaNew GuineaNorthern AustraliaSolomon Islands

🔒 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

Grow Ficus benjamina? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Ficus

Ficus elastica Ficus lyrata Ficus aurea Ficus macrophylla Ficus rubiginosa Ficus insipida Ficus maxima Ficus obliqua Ficus microcarpa Ficus religiosa Ficus sycomorus Ficus americana All 1214 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.