Ficus lyrata (Fiddleleaf Fig)


  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0070
  • Botanical Name: Ficus lyrata
  • Common Name: Fiddleleaf Fig, Banjo Fig
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Moraceae
  • Native To: West African lowland forests

Ficus lyrata 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type: Tree, Indoor Plant, Broadleaf Evergreen
    • Texture: Dense
    • Form: Round-Headed to Spreading with age
    • Height (on average, in landscape use): 25'-35'
    • Height to Spread Ratio: 4:3
    • Growth Rate: Slow to Medium
    • Landscape Values: Accent, Street Tree, Indoor, Lanai, Patio, Shade, Specimen, Windbreak
    • Outstanding Quality: Foliage Shape
    Ficus lyrata on the UH Manoa Campus
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Figs: 1"-1.25", Sessile, in pairs, green. 
    Ficus lyrata fig
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Foliage Color: A description of the foliage when Young/immature: Bronze, Reddish, Soft, light green, or Yellow Green. Mature: Bright medium green, dark green
    • Foliage Tip: Usually Acute
    • Foliage Base: Cordate
    • Petiole: 0.6"-2.25" long
    • Stipules: 0.4"-2.5" long, persistent
    • Margins: Undulate
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
    • Leaf Shape: Pandurate (Violin-shaped) 
    • Leaf Type: Simple
    • Leaf Texture: Firm, glabrous
    • Leaf Special Notes: Large, thick, smooth, violin-shaped leaf adds unique form and texture to the landscape. Leaf color is darker on top, but generally the same. When grown indoors, it is rather slow growing.
    Ficus lyrate as an indoor plant
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Bark and Trunk: Very course and almost hair-like when young. Matures to a smooth, gray bark. 
    Ficus lyrata bark
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference: Full Sun.
      • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun
      • Soil Preferences: Organic, Moist, Well-Drained.
      • Tolerances: Humidity, Regular Watering, Drought
      • Water Requirements: Naturally grows in wet, tropical rainforests, but can tolerate drought. 
      • Notes on Maintenance: Relatively slow growing, especially when indoors. Does not tolerate frost, needs high light when indoors. Messy figs
      Ficus lyrata figs are messy on a walkway
      Photo by Matthew Gaston

      • Propagation: Cutting is the easiest method. 
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 10a
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): -5, Low Risk

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