Weeping Fig

The Weeping Fig is one of the most widely grown indoor trees, valued for its slender, arching branches and dense canopy of small, glossy, pointed leaves. Trunks are often braided or trained into standards for a polished, tree-like form.

It is beautiful but sensitive: sudden changes in light, temperature, or location commonly trigger dramatic leaf drop. Once settled into a stable spot with consistent care, however, it is a long-lived and elegant focal-point plant.

Identify it by a small tree form with drooping branches and abundant small, glossy, pointed leaves.

• Leaves: small, ovate, glossy, with a pointed tip (drip tip); 5 to 12 cm long
• Branches: slender, arching, giving a weeping silhouette
• Trunk: smooth, light gray; often braided or grown as a standard
• Size: 1 to 2 m indoors; a large tree in the wild
• Sap: milky white latex when cut

Provide bright indirect light and, above all, consistency; avoid moving it, which triggers leaf drop.

• Water: when the top inch of soil dries; keep evenly moist in the growing season but never soggy
• Soil: well-draining potting mix
• Temperature: 18 to 24 C; avoid cold drafts, heat vents and sudden swings
• Humidity: moderate to high
• Feeding: balanced fertilizer monthly in spring and summer
• Propagation: from stem cuttings
• Note: the milky latex sap can irritate skin and trigger latex allergies

Native to South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia, where Ficus benjamina grows into a large tree, often beginning life as an epiphyte and developing aerial roots. It is widely planted as a street and shade tree in the tropics and is one of the most popular indoor trees worldwide.

Grown as an ornamental indoor tree and, in warm climates, as a landscape and hedge tree. It is a noted air-purifying plant. However, its leaves are toxic to cats and dogs, and its latex sap is a common allergen, so handle and place it with care.