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Species library › Ficus › Ficus virgata
Other Well documented

Ficus virgata

Figwood

Figwood is a strangler fig from the western Pacific rim, found from the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan through Malesia to Queensland, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. It usually starts life as an epiphyte high on a host tree and sends roots down to the ground, but it can also grow as a free-standing shrub or tree. Young plants make a warm, bright indoor fig that needs even moisture and never a cold draught.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest period

Where it grows wild

It grows in well-developed rainforest and gallery forest. It usually starts as a seedling in the canopy of a host tree and eventually encloses the host with its roots. It can also establish on the ground or on rock and grow as a shrub or small tree.

The 423 records with an elevation span 4–1300 m, median 80 m. Australian sources give sea level to 400 m, and the higher records are probably from New Guinea.

Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto) and TaiwanPhilippines, Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku, Lesser Sunda IslandsNew Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon IslandsQueensland (Cape York to the Paluma Range)New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Caroline Islands

🔒 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.