Why Ficus Makes a Great Indoor Plant

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

WHY NOT FICUS !

 Ficus is a tropical genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of niches in the Moraceae family. Because they can adapt very well to interior lighting many are utilized as indoor foliage plants. Each species has cultivars that are commercially available. 

this variegated Ficus needs a lot of light or sun !

 Most are evergreen, but some deciduous species live outside of the tropics and in higher elevations. Regardless of where they grow, they all produce a white to yellowish latex.  This is most apparent from leaves or stems when injured.Branches all have a pair of stipules (a covering that protects the bud). When these fall off they leave circular scars. Aerial roots are common, as well as a distinctive shape or habit.Their fruits distinguish them from other plants. 

Latex oozing out of cut Ficus wood

 The genus is characterized by their unique inflorescence and distinctive pollination. The flowers are enclosed in an urn-like structure called a syconium (fig fruit). This structure is lined on the inside with the fig's tiny flowers that develop into multiple ovaries.Basically the fruit is a fleshy stem with multiple tiny flowers that coalesce inside. A specific wasp species belonging to the family Agaonidae is their vector for pollination. 

Wood, Paper and Cloth

 Ficus wood was used to make mummy caskets in Ancient Egypt. Pou (F. religiosa) leaves' shape inspired one of the standard decorative elements in Cambodian architecture. Indian banyan (F. benghalensis) and the Indian rubber plant, as well as other species, have use in herbalism.Some species (F. cotinifolia, F. insipida and F. padifolia) were used in Mesoamerica to produce paper - papel amate. 

a sheet of amate paper made in Mexico

 Mutuba (F. natalensis) in Uganda produces bark cloth. The inner bark of a wild fig, known as urú, was once used by the Moré people of Bolivia to produce a fibrous cloth used for clothing. 

The Common Fig

the incredible edible fig !

Ficus carica is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal). It is a hardy shrub or small tree grown outdoors in mild temperate regions to 14 °F.Widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit – it is what we commonly call "figs". Each produces a substantial harvest of fruit. 

Ficus used as an Indoor plant

 A few species are widely used as indoor plants for the home or the office. Most adapt to the dry, warm atmosphere of centrally-heated interiors. Given the chance some can grow to substantial heights in a sunny or bright spot. 

Ficus benjamina - weeping fig

Ficus elastica - rubber plant – several cultivars have variegated leaves

Ficus lyrata - fiddle-leaf fig

Ficus maclellandii – aka F. alii

Ficus microcarpa - Indian laurel

Ficus pumila - creeping fig

Looking for a Indoor Ficus Tree ?

Our Indoor Team can get you the right one for your home !

or office !

Call us - let's talk choices !

PLANT SPECIALISTSGREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 53 YEARS !

   Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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