Species · genus Ficus · Moraceae
Natal Fig
Ficus burkei (Miq.) Miq.
Also known as: Strangler Fig
Cultivars of F. burkei
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under F. burkei 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.
A Ficus by Another Name
Ficus burkei is a member of the fig family, Moraceae, the same broad genus that gives us so many familiar houseplant figs. The genus itself spans evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers, typically with leathery, simple leaves and tiny flowers hidden inside a hollow receptacle that swells into the fig fruit.
Source: RHS
A Name Settled Elsewhere
This name was first published in 1867, but botanical record-keeping has since moved it along: Kew's Plants of the World Online treats Ficus burkei as a synonym of Ficus thonningii. Its taxonomic status is listed as unresolved by the RHS, a reminder that fig naming has a long and tangled history.
Source: Kew
Family Traits
As a Ficus, this plant belongs to a genus known for leathery, entire or lobed leaves and an unusual flower arrangement tucked inside an enclosed receptacle, the structure that later becomes the fig. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.
Source: RHS
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
Bright, indirect
≈ every 14 days
Medium
16–30 °C
Well-draining, peat-based potting mix
Stem cuttings or air layering
Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season
Moderate
Does not flower indoors
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.
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 Natal Fig yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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