Ficus subpuberula
A rock-splitting fig from the monsoon tropics of northern Australia that roots into crevices of sandstone cliffs and gorges and grows into a much-branched tree up to 13 m tall. It has sparse, pendulous, dull grey-green foliage and small yellow to red figs. It is closely related to Ficus platypoda. Grow it like a sun-loving lithophytic fig: full sun, a lean gritty mix, heavy watering in the wet season and a much drier winter.
Where it grows wild
The Flora of Australia describes it as often lithophytic, growing in crevices of sandstone rocks and cliffs and over rocks, on rocky soil in deciduous scrub, monsoon forest edges and rocky open woodland. Herbarium labels in GBIF mention sandstone escarpments and gorge bases in the Top End. Roots follow cracks deep into the rock, which gives it the name rock breaker.
Mostly lowland. The few GBIF records with an elevation give about 80–250 m, on sandstone plateaux and escarpments of the Top End, the Kimberley and the Gulf country.
🔒 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.