Kingdom Plantae Family Moraceae Subgenus Urostigma Higher classification Fig | Order Rosales Genus Ficus Scientific name Ficus lyrata Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Fig, Rubber fig, Weeping fig, Swiss cheese plant, Philodendron | ||
How to care for your fiddle leaf fig plant or ficus lyrata
Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the fiddle-leaf fig, is a species of flowering plant in the mulberry and fig family Moraceae. It is native to western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone, where it grows in lowland tropical rainforest.
Contents
- How to care for your fiddle leaf fig plant or ficus lyrata
- Ficus lyrata care instructions avi
- Cultivation and garden uses
- References
It is a banyan fig (Ficus subgenus Urostigma) that commonly starts life as an epiphyte high in the crown of another tree; it then sends roots down to the ground which envelop the trunk of the host tree and slowly strangle it. It can also grow as a free-standing tree on its own, growing up to 12–15 m (39–49 ft) tall.
The leaves are variable in shape, but often with a broad apex and narrow middle, resembling a lyre or fiddle; they are up to 45 cm (18 in) long and 30 cm (12 in) broad, though usually smaller, with a leathery texture, prominent veins and a wavy margin.
The fruit is a green fig 2.5-3 cm (1-¼ in) diameter.
Ficus lyrata care instructions avi
Cultivation and garden uses
It is a popular ornamental tree in subtropical and tropical gardens, and is also grown as a houseplant in temperate areas, where it usually stays shorter and fails to flower or fruit. Like most figs, it is frost tender.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
