Year of the Ficus

Sometimes called Council Tree, this tropical Ficus species isn’t as commonly grown as many of its cousins but deserves to be. It has shiny, oval-shaped leaves that are larger than Weeping Fig’s but smaller than Fiddleleaf Fig’s. This middling brings a great texture to your indoor décor. It’s native to areas of Southeast Asia where it can grow 100 feet tall, but stays much smaller when grown indoors.

• Variegata and Yellow Gem are two outstanding selections that bear golden-yellow edges around each leaf.

Commonly known as Ficus Audrey (when grown as a houseplant) or Banyan (as an outdoor tree). No matter what name you give it, this spectacular tree is one of the largest in the family. It sports medium green leaves with fuzzy undersides, so it’s both attractive and tactile. It has a medium growth rate and can easily reach 8 feet tall or more if not pruned. It’s native to areas of India and Asia and is designated the national tree of India.

This is the classic Ficus houseplant. It’s commonly called Weeping Fig because of its graceful branching pattern. The shiny, dark green leaves have added a soft, graceful texture to interiors everywhere for decades. It has a medium growth rate and tops 8 feet or more if not trimmed. It can get more than 60 feet tall in the tropics, like areas of Southeast Asia and Australia, where it’s native.

• Several cultivars of Ficus benjamina are available. Some of the showiest have trendy variegated foliage with leaves edged in yellow, cream, or white. Other cultivars are bred for a more compact, full growth habit.

Here’s another tried-and-true houseplant enjoyed by generations of plant parents (so you KNOW it’s easy to grow!). The rubber tree sports big, thick leaves and a more resilient nature than some of its relatives. Like other Ficus, Rubber Tree has a dense, milky sap. In its native range of Southeast Asia, the sap was used to produce latex (hence the common name). Outdoors in the tropics, it can grow more than 100 feet tall, and indoors can get 8 feet or more if you let it. But it takes well to pruning, so you can sculpt and shape it to fit any space.

• Several cultivars of Ficus elastica are available. Some of the most common selections include Ruby (which features gray-green leaves irregularly edged in red, pink, and cream), Shivereana (also called Moonlight, which features camouflage-like dark green leaves patterned with medium and light green tones), and Tineke (which shows off eye-catching creamy-white margins on its large leaves). Burgundy is another classic; it has purple-flushed foliage.

Fiddle Leaf Fig skyrocketed in popularity, becoming the “It Plant” of the late 2010s. It’s easy to see why—it shows off big, shiny leaves and doesn’t grow as fast as some of the other varieties. It immediately creates statement plant vibes. Like many of the other tree-form Ficus varieties, it can get more than 8 feet tall over time, but takes well to pruning. It’s native to areas of Western Africa.

• Despite its popularity, there are only two varieties available. Bambino/Little Fiddle is a dwarf form. It stays more compact and has smaller leaves. Variegata has creamy white edges to the foliage.

Nicknamed Ficus Alli, this species sports unique, long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves. This helps create a fantastic textural contrast against other Ficus varieties—and other houseplants in general. It’s fairly forgiving as a houseplant with care needs similar to Rubber Tree or Audrey. It has a medium growth rate and can get 8 feet tall or more in time if you let it. But it doesn’t mind being pruned, so you can keep it at any size you want. Ficus Alli is native to areas of Southeast Asia.

• There is a stunning gold-variegated form available. It sports bright golden-yellow new growth irregularly variegated with darker green. As the foliage matures, it fades to green.

Though it makes for a fine houseplant when grown naturally, it is more common indoors as a bonsai. You might know it as Ginseng Ficus. Its thick, dark green leaves tend to grow closer together than other Ficus, giving it a fuller, lusher look. Because of this, it’s a common low hedge in frost-free regions. As a tree in tropical regions like Southeast Asia, it can grow more than 40 feet tall. But as a bonsai, it’s usually kept around a foot tall.

Commonly called Creeping Fig, this species is a vine that can climb up or grow as a groundcover (hence the common name). It has small, heart-shaped leaves in its juvenile form—which is how we usually see it grown as a houseplant—and larger, oval leaves in its adult form. It’s native to areas of Eastern Asia but can grow anywhere as a houseplant. In its native habitat, it can climb about 15 feet, but indoors it stays much smaller. It’s suitable for both climbing and trailing, including hanging baskets.

• You can find a handful of interesting cultivars of this species. Curly is a cultivar that shows off uniquely textured curled leaves. Dorty is similar but variegated with creamy-yellow centers in the foliage. Sunny is a particularly eye-catching selection that offers medium green leaves broadly edged in white.

As you might guess from the name, Ficus triangularis has vaguely triangle-shaped leaves. This gives it a more distinctive look and texture than its cousins. It’s not as commonly grown as some of the other species, making it a special find. Native to Southern Africa, it can get more than 10 feet tall outdoors in frost-free areas. Indoors, it’s much slower growing, but can still reach 8 feet if not pruned.

• The variegated form, which has dark green leaves edged in creamy white, is more common as an indoor plant than the regular species. The white variegation means it has less chlorophyll, so it’s even slower growing.