Ficus lyrata
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| Ficus lyrata Warb. |
Ficus lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig) is a species of fig tree, native to western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone. It grows in lowland tropical rainforest.
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 strangles it. It can also grow as a free-standing tree on its own, growing up to 12-15 m (40-50 ft) tall. The leaves are variable in shape, but often with a broad apex and narrow middle, resembling a fiddle; they are up to 45 cm (18 in) long and 30 cm (12 in) broad, though usually smaller, with a leathery texture and a wavy margin. The fruit is a green fig 2.5-3 cm (1-¼ in) diameter.
[edit] Cultivation and uses
It is a popular ornamental tree in subtropical and tropical gardens, and is also grown as a houseplant, where it usually stays shorter when put into pots than when grown outdoors. Their main horticultural feature are their large leaves. Like other fig species, it can grow to a large tree if planted in the ground. Like all figs, it is frost tender.
[edit] External links
- Figweb: Ficus lyrata
- Description at Plants of Hawaii.
- Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
