Ficus aurea

Common Names

Florida Strangler Fig, Strangler Fig, Golden Fig

Summary

Florida strangler fig is a tropical evergreen tree that often starts life as a hemiepiphyte on a host tree, sending aerial roots that wrap the host and can girdle it, then becoming a self-supporting tree with a broad canopy; it grows about 40–60 ft tall and 20–60 ft wide, native to tropical hammocks, swamps, and a range of moist-wet to dry sites, and is noted for showy fruits, interesting foliage, and interesting bark.

Prefers full sun to shade with usually moist soils and good drainage, tolerating a wide range of soils from clay to sand and neutral to alkaline pH; suited to growing zones 10A–11; propagation is by seed; landscape use highlights the plant as a large specimen or shade tree, with some tolerance to salty wind and aerial roots that can form secondary trunks.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

40-60 ft

Spread

50-70 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 10-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained loamy soil (pH 5.5–7.5)

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

5.5-7.5, broad pH range, acidic to alkaline soils.

Bloom Color

Red, Yellow, White, Greenish

Bloom Time

Year-round

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

No color change

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Grafting, Air Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts butterflies, Attracts other pollinators, Attracts birds