Ficus drupacea is a tropical strangler fig tree that starts life as an epiphyte on another tree and can grow 10 to 30 m tall. It is grown mainly as a specimen or landscape tree in warm, humid climates rather than as a houseplant.
Family
Moraceae (Fig & mulberry family)
Grows as
Tree, Epiphyte
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile soil or loamy garden mix.
Temperature
18–32 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
China (S. Yunnan, Guangdong) to Trop. Asia and N. Queensland
Climate
wet tropical
About
Ficus drupacea, also known as the brown-woolly fig or Mysore fig, is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and Northeast Australia (it has been introduced into the New World tropics, including Puerto Rico). It is a strangler fig; it begins its life cycle as an epiphyte on a larger tree, which it eventually engulfs. Its distinctive features include dense, woolly pubescence, bright yellow to red fleshy fruit, and grayish white bark. It can reach heights of 10–30 meters (33–98 ft). Its fruit are eaten by pigeons, and it is pollinated by Eupristina belgaumensis. It occurs in environments ranging from sea-level beachfront environments to montane forests, up to 1,000 metres (3,300 feet).
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ficus drupacea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.