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Species library › Ficus › Ficus petiolaris
Other Well documented

Ficus petiolaris

Rock fig

A Mexican fig that grows on cliffs and rocks, where its pale yellowish roots creep over the stone. It grows in dry tropical forest, thorn forest and oak-pine forest from Baja California and Sonora to Oaxaca, and drops its leaves in the long dry season. In pots it forms a swollen base, and is popular as a bonsai and caudex plant.

Ficus petiolaris
Photo: KATHERINE WAGNER-REISS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It is a lithophyte on rocks and cliffs in deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forest, thorn forest, cloud forest and oak-pine forest. Its roots grip bare rock and grow into crevices. In the wild it can reach 30 m, but it is usually much smaller on rock.

Sources give 550–1200 m. The GBIF records do not carry elevations, and many from Baja California Sur and the Gulf of California are near sea level.

Mexico

🔒 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.