Ficus montana (Oakleaf Fig)

  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0109
  • Botanical Name: Ficus montana
  • Common Name: Oakleaf Fig, Oak-Leafed Fig 
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Moraceae 
Ficus montana
Photo by Matthew Gaston


  • Native To: South East Asia (From Myanmar and Thailand to Indonesia and the Philippines)  

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type: Vine, Groundcover, houseplant
    • Texture: Medium
    • Form: Mat
    • Height (on average, in landscape use): <1' - 1.5'
    • Height to Spread Ratio: Creeping Groundcover
    • Growth Rate: Slow 
    • Landscape Values:  Edging, Filler, Groundcover, Indoor, Lanai, Mass, Patio, Erosion Control
    • Outstanding Quality: Foliage Characters
    Ficus montana
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Figs: <0.5", orange-red when mature.. Sweet flavor when ripe.
    Ficus montana unripe fig
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Ficus montana ripening fig
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    Ficus montana with figs
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Foliage Color: Young/immature: Light Green. Mature: Dark Green.
    • Foliage Tip: Rounded to Acute to Acuminate
    • Foliage Base: Rounded to Attenuate
    • Petiole: 0.5'
    • Stipules: n/a
    • Margins: Lobed
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate 
    • Leaf Shape: Lobate 
    • Leaf Type: Lobate
    • Leaf Texture: A firm, stiff, sand papery leaf with pronounced venation on the abaxial surface. Sand papery texture is more prominent on the abaxial surface.
    • Leaf Special Notes: Looks like a classic oak leaf (Quercus sp.) hence the common name.

    Ficus montana adaxial surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Ficus montana abaxial surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    Ficus montana 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    • Bark and Trunk: smooth, light brown to brown stem.

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference: Semi-Shade
      • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun, Shade
      • Soil Preferences:  Not Particular,  Dry (Mesic), Dry (Xeric), Well-Drained
      • Tolerances:  Not Particular, Compacted Soil, Drought, Being Walked Upon. 
      • Water Requirements: Moderate to low water requirements
      • Notes on Maintenance: A hardy plant that can tolerate several conditions. A groundcover that can be grown indoors. Prone to mealybugs. 
      • Propagation: Seeds, Cutting, Layer
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 9b
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): Not evaluated

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