Ficus Benjamina

Scientific Name: Ficus benjamina

Common Name: Weeping fig

Family: The Moraceae

General Information

Ficus benjamina, commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok. The weeping fig is a very popular houseplant because of its attractive appearance, low maintenance, and tolerance of poor growing conditions, and its stems may be intertwined for an interesting effect. Indoors it is usually grown in large containers, thus dwarf forms may be better suited in this setting. Miniature cultivars like ‘Too Little' are popular for bonsai.

Features of Ficus benjamina that make it identifiable:

Leaves: Leaf is Dark Green, elliptic with long, acuminate tip.

Bark: The bark is light gray and smooth. The bark of young branches is brownish.

Flowers and fruits: are enclosed in a fleshy sac that turns from green to orange-red to red and then purplish black. Minute, unisexual, enclosed in fleshy receptacle (fig), entered by apical orifice and pollinated by fig wasps.

Uses

Its latex and some fruit extracts are used by indigenous communities to treat skin disorders, inflammation, piles, vomiting, leprosy, malaria, nose-diseases and cancer besides the use as a general tonic. The plant is also used as antimicrobial, antinociceptive, antipyretic, hypotensive and anti-dysentery remedy