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Species library › Ficus › Ficus platyphylla
Other Well documented

Ficus platyphylla

Broadleaf fig

Ficus platyphylla, called gamji in Hausa, is a deciduous fig of the open and wooded savannas across Africa south of the Sahara, from Senegal to Somalia. In the wild it is a spreading tree up to 20 m tall with pale brown bark and large ovate leaves up to 25 cm long. It often begins life as an epiphyte and later strangles its host. It is a full-sun, dry-season-deciduous tree, so at home it suits a large container in a sunroom or greenhouse, or bonsai, and it expects a warm, bright summer and a drier winter.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets 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 in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows in open and wooded Sudanian and Guinean savanna, and avoids the equatorial rainforest. Trees stand in full sun, often on rocky ground or as strangler figs on other savanna trees, and drop their leaves in the long dry season.

The 27 records with an elevation span 9–1400 m, median 415 m, typical of the West African savanna plateaux. The Ethiopian and Ugandan records are the higher ones.

West African savanna (Senegal to Nigeria and Cameroon)Chad and Central African RepublicSudan and South SudanEthiopia, Djibouti and SomaliaUganda

🔒 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.