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Species library › Ficus › Ficus destruens
Other Partly documented

Ficus destruens

A strangler fig from the rainforests of north-east Queensland. It starts life as an epiphyte high on a host tree, sends roots to the ground and can grow into a tree 32 m tall. Its small orange to red figs feed many birds. In cultivation it behaves like other banyan figs: it needs bright light, warmth and room, and can be grown as a potted tree or bonsai.

Ficus destruens
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Well-developed upland and mountain rainforest in north-east Queensland. Outside the rainforest it also grows as an epiphyte on trees in eucalypt forest. Seedlings germinate in the canopy on host trees and later become free-standing trees.

Sea level to about 1,000 m, mostly in upland rainforest.

Queensland (Australia)

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.