The Ficus Benjamina is a very interesting and sought after ornamental tree. It is probably one of the most common "indoor" trees. It is also commonly used as a bonsai tree. It is not however a small tree. In its native environment it can grow quite large (over 20 meters).
Where I live the Ficus Benjamina is common both as an indoor tree and as an ornamental tree in gardens, parks and along avenues. As its name indicates this tree is a member of the Ficus (Fig) genus. In one of the images below you can see the fruit of this tree which are little "figs" (not the edible kind - Figs that we commonly eat are from the Ficus Carica tree)
This tree is sometimes called the "Weeping Fig" or "Benjamine Fig". One interesting piece of trivia about this tree (and all Ficus for that matter) is that it needs an associated pollinator wasp in order to reproduce naturally. I´m not excactly sure how this works but it has something to do with a specific species of wasp that will only lay its eggs in one specific species of ficus and in so doing pollinates the tree.
The image below is in the "Jardines de Picasso" in Malaga, Spain. This is a little know garden/park that is divided into four sections by the intersection of two main avenues. If you take the time to explore though it you will find that it has an amazing collection of trees, some of which are very large. A local once told me that this park was once the private estate of a wealthy family who owned a shipping company that operated out of Malaga.
The Ficus Benjamina is a very interesting and sought after ornamental tree. It is probably one of the most common "indoor" trees. It is also commonly used as a bonsai tree. It is not however a small tree. In its native environment it can grow quite large (over 20 meters).
Where I live the Ficus Benjamina is common both as an indoor tree and as an ornamental tree in gardens, parks and along avenues. As its name indicates this tree is a member of the Ficus (Fig) genus. In one of the images below you can see the fruit of this tree which are little "figs" (not the edible kind - Figs that we commonly eat are from the Ficus Carica tree)
This tree is sometimes called the "Weeping Fig" or "Benjamine Fig". One interesting piece of trivia about this tree (and all Ficus for that matter) is that it needs an associated pollinator wasp in order to reproduce naturally. I´m not excactly sure how this works but it has something to do with a specific species of wasp that will only lay its eggs in one specific species of ficus and in so doing pollinates the tree.
The image below is in the "Jardines de Picasso" in Malaga, Spain. This is a little know garden/park that is divided into four sections by the intersection of two main avenues. If you take the time to explore though it you will find that it has an amazing collection of trees, some of which are very large. A local once told me that this park was once the private estate of a wealthy family who owned a shipping company that operated out of Malaga.
nice picture of the fruit. Mine is bearing fruit after 30 years!
ReplyDeleteNancy in CT, USA
do you know of any places on the net or any books that show you how to braid a ficus?
ReplyDeletethank you
Where can I buy a ficus like this one with a wide braid, anybody know?
ReplyDeleteVery commonly planted in Delhi too.But figs are small green.http://www.delhitrees.com/
ReplyDelete