Ficus platypoda
The desert fig is a shrub or tree up to 10 m that grows on sandstone and sometimes limestone outcrops across the Top End, Gulf Country and northern Western Australia. It is drought-tolerant and has hairy young shoots. Its thick trunk base and small leaves make it a popular native bonsai. It wants full sun, heat, sharp drainage and a dry winter.
Where it grows wild
It grows on rocky outcrops, clinging to boulders and cliffs, and its roots follow cracks in the rock. It also grows in monsoon forest patches and dry scrub in rocky places. It sometimes strangles other trees, but it is mainly a rock fig in full sun.
The 33 records with an elevation span 60–800 m, median 120 m. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants suggests sea level to about 300 m.
🔒 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.