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Species library › Ficus › Ficus religiosa
Other Well documented

Ficus religiosa

Sacred fig

The sacred fig or bodhi tree, native to the Indian subcontinent and parts of mainland Southeast Asia, with heart-shaped leaves ending in a long drip tip. It is a large tree that often starts life as an epiphyte on another tree or a wall, and it may drop its leaves briefly in the dry season. In a pot or as bonsai it wants full sun, warmth and a clear, drier winter slowdown.

Ficus religiosa
Photo: Burkhard Mücke, 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 in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows in tropical dry and moist deciduous forest and in submontane forest, and readily colonises walls, buildings and other trees. As a hemi-epiphyte its roots grow down and around the host, eventually splitting it. It thrives on deep, well-drained alluvial soils but grows in most soil types. Mature trees stand in full sun.

Reported from about 10 m to 1520 m. The measured sites range from 17 m in Kerala to 914 m near Bangalore.

IndiaPakistanNepal and the eastern HimalayaBangladesh and AssamMyanmarPeninsular Malaysia

🔒 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.