Ficus drupacea

Common Names

Brown Woolly Fig, Mysore Fig, Drupe Fig, Hairy Fig, Red Fig, Fig, Payapa, Laurel De Mysore, Zhen Guo Rong (枕果榕)

Summary

Brown-woolly fig is a large Moraceae tree that often begins life as an epiphyte on a host tree, sending aerial roots that encircle the host and can smother it before becoming a free-standing strangler with a broad canopy; it has leathery leaves elliptic to egg-shaped with dense pubescence on young growth, milky exudate from petioles and twigs, and green figs maturing to ochre-yellow or red that are sessile in leaf axils, with bark described as grayish-white to gray-brown.

In cultivation it grows in gardens and urban settings and occurs in habitats ranging from lowland rainforest to montane forests along streams and evergreen or deciduous woodlands, from 0 to 1,500 m elevation; it can be propagated from seeds or semi-hardwood cuttings and is sometimes grown as an ornamental elsewhere; fruits are edible raw but tasteless, bark yields fibre, root powder is used vulnerary, and the plant serves as a keystone species supporting diverse fauna and relies on fig wasps for pollination with seed dispersal by birds and small mammals.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

33-131 feet

Spread

98–115 ft

Hardiness Zones

Zones 10-13

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile loamy soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil (prefer loamy); avoid waterlogging.

Soil pH

Mildly acidic to mildly alkaline

Bloom Color

White

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage; evergreen leaves year-round.

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Moderate

Seasons of Interest

All four seasons

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Semi-hardwood cuttings (with rooting hormone), Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds, fig wasps