Species · genus Ficus · Moraceae

Florida Strangler

Ficus aurea Nutt.

Also known as: Florida Strangler Fig · Golden Fig

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Is., Central American Pacific Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Florida, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Southwest Caribbean, Turks-Caicos Is.

Reference · F. aurea

Cultivars of F. aurea

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under F. aurea yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Ficus aurea is a strangler fig native to subtropical and tropical forests from Florida through Central America, where it begins life as an epiphyte before becoming a large tree. Indoors it wants bright indirect light and a chance to approach dryness between waterings; water when the top inch or two of mix is dry, and never leave it sitting wet, as its roots resent prolonged saturation. It tolerates ordinary household humidity but appreciates steady warmth and good air movement.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–30 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining, peat-based potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings or air layering

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Does not flower indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Fig / rubber plant — irritant latex (ficin); GI upset, dermatitis. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Florida Strangler yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.