Ficus cordata
A rock-splitting fig of arid south-western Africa that is almost confined to cliff faces and rock outcrops, where its roots follow cracks in bare rock. It ranges from a gnarled shrub to a spreading tree and is often the largest tree in the Namaqualand and Karoo landscapes. At home it suits a full-sun, free-draining pot or bonsai culture with a drier, cooler winter.
Where it grows wild
Cliff faces, rocky hills and outcrops of sandstone, granite, limestone and gneiss, sometimes along dry riverbeds, across fynbos, Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo. It grows directly from crevices in bare rock, sending roots deep into cracks for water.
Few records carry an elevation; the 10 that do span 123–1550 m, median 1000 m. Most of the range lies in arid uplands and escarpments.
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
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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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.