Species · genus Ficus · Moraceae

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Ficus lyrata Warb.

Also known as: Banjo Fig · Fiddleleaf Fig · Lyre-leaf Figtree

Growth habit

hemiepiphytic tree

Native range

Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo

Reference · F. lyrata

Cultivars of F. lyrata

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

No named cultivars catalogued under F. lyrata 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 lyrata is a hemiepiphytic tree from West and Central African lowland forests, where it begins life rooted on a host before reaching the ground. It wants warmth and steady bright indirect light near a window rather than harsh direct sun, with airflow and a freely draining mix that never sits soggy. Let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, and err toward dry, since its roots rot when kept wet.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–29 °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 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Fiddle Leaf Fig 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.