You can detect the Ficus plants with their simple smooth elliptic or obovate leaves, although various species vary in size and shape from narrow to wide, small to large. For example, Ficus deltoidea has small obovate leaves but Ficus maclellandii has long narrow leaves. If you want to find the name of your exotic Ficus tree, join us in this article to tell you about Ficus identification by leaf. I will provide images to identify Ficus species and varieties and one of the best and tested online plant identification tools.
I have PhD in plant protection science and work as a horticultural counsellor. I love plants, especially houseplants and today decided to write this post to share my experiences and knowledge in Ficus species identification. Don’t forget I will walk with you during this post and you can ask your questions below this page. If you are ready, let’s get going.
💡 I love Ficus trees and strongly suggest them for your home, office and garden, Do you know why?
➡ But be cautious, Ficus species are not safe plants for cats and dogs and also are toxic for kids. |
➡ You can also hear the audio version of this article.
What does a ficus tree look like? Ficus trees usually have large, glossy, and dark green leaves with distinctive veining patterns that grow in a rosette form. Some of them can produce fruits and flowers, However, they are popular because of their stunning leaves that give a tropical view to your home.
In the following, I will show you ficus species and varieties pictures and will help you to identify your Ficus tree by leaf. Let us dive into it.
Ficus maclellandii ‘Alii’ Banana leaf fig
Scientific name: Ficus maclellandii (Ficus alii)
Common names: Long leaf fig
Leaves shape: it has long drooping leathery green leaves on a brown-grey long stem.
Ficus binnendijkii Narrow Leaf fig
Scientific name: Ficus binnendijkii
Common names: it is also known as long-leaf fig
Leaves shape: its long leaves are dark green and very similar to the Banana leaf fig tree.
Scientific name: Ficus Benjamin
Scientific name: Ficus benjamina
Common names: Benjamin fig or Ficus tree
Leaves shape: small shiny green leaves that grow in a cluster and make a bushy appearance.
Weeping Fig is also one of the air purification indoor plants.
Ficus Lyrata Weeping Fig
Scientific name: Ficus lyrata
Common names: Fiddle-leaf Fig, Fiddle-leaf, Banjo Fig, Lyre-leaf Figtree, 琴叶榕, 提琴叶榕
Leaves shape: this plant has a bushy appearance with large deep green leaves that is violin-shaped.
Scientific name: Ficus sycamores
Scientific name: Ficus sycamores
Common names: Fig-mulberry
Leaves shape: the leaves are round-shaped.
You will spot this tree in the outdoors.
Scientific name: Ficus benghalensis
Scientific name: Ficus benghalensis
Common names: Ficus Audrey, banyan tree, strangler fig
Leaves shape: it has large dark green velvety leaves with cream veins
Scientific name: Ficus cyathistipula
Scientific name: Ficus cyathistipula
Common names: African Fig Tree
Leaves shape: it has glossy leaves with oblong-shaped
Scientific name: Ficus elastica
Scientific name: Ficus elastica
Common names: ‘Variegata’ Rubber Tree
Leaves shape: the leaves are deep purple on the burgundy stems.
Scientific name: Ficus aspera
Scientific name: Ficus aspera
Common names: Clown Fig
Leaves shape: The large deep green leaves with light green to white patterns on them.
The clown fig is a rare Ficus tree.
Scientific name: Ficus congesta
Scientific name: Ficus congesta
Common names: Red Leaf Fig
Leaves shape: the leaves are glossy dark green with red or purple hues.
Scientific name: Ficus carica
Scientific name: Ficus carica
Common names: Fig
Leaves shape: its large leaves are lobed-shaped with a leathery texture.
Scientific name: Ficus Moclame
Scientific name: Ficus Moclame
Common names: lollipop tree
Leaves shape: Ficus Danielle is a variety of Ficus benjamina which is bushier and more compact than Ficus benjamina. Its mature leaves are thick, waxy dark green. the new leaves are lime green.
Scientific name: Ficus microcarpa
Scientific name: Ficus microcarpa
Common names: Malayan Banyan, Jejawi, Curtain Fig, Chinese Banyan, Glossy-leaf Fig, Jawi Jawi, Small-Fruited Fig, Indian Laurel Fig, Laurel Fig, 榕树, 马来亚榕
Leaves shape: the leathery leaves are oval-shaped.
Scientific name: Ficus coronata
Common names: Sandpaper Fig
Leaves shape: it has large dark green leaves on the top and pale green underneath. The leaves have a rough and sandpapery texture with tiny hairs on the underside.
Scientific name: Ficus retusa
Scientific name: Ficus retusa
Common names: Banyan Tree
Leaves shape: its small leaves are dark green.
Scientific name: Ficus altissima
Common names: lofty fig
Leaves shape: it has large deep green leaves that are arranged on its grey or brown trunk in a council meeting shape. in some varieties, there is a light green edge on leaves.
Scientific name: Ficus macrophylla
Common names: Moreton Bay Fig, 澳洲大叶榕乳树
Leaves shape: the leaves like a dense canopy are on its massive trunk.
Scientific name: Ficus deltoidea
Common names: Mistletoe Fig, Mistletoe Rubber Plant, Rusty-leafed Bush Fig, Mas Cotek, Serapat Angin, Telinga Beruk, 金钱榕
Leaves shape: the leaves are simple with smooth margins and leathery textures that are deltoid-shaped and rounded at the apex.
More than 850 species of the Ficus genus have been detected so far. Ficus trees are popular tropical houseplants and in the previous part, we showed you the images of 19 common Ficus plants, however, you may have or spot rare Ficus varieties that have not been mentioned above.
So, getting help from a plant identification tool can be more useful. In this part, I want to tell you about one of the best and tested plant identifiers: “House plant identifier“.
This is a free online tool with an advanced algorithm that works with artificial intelligence and a learning machine. The “House plant identifier ” has a huge collection of millions of images belonging to about 14000 plant species. So, it will Increase the chance of correct identification.
Working with this tool is very easy. It is enough that you take an online picture or upload the image of your plant from your gallery and then click on the start button. It will identify your plant with more than 91% accuracy in only 2 seconds.
“House plant identifier ” can identify a broad collection of plants including house plants, trees, flowers, wild plants, ornamentals, etc. It also can detect plant disease
Ficus plants include a lot of species. In this article, we showed you the image of 19 Ficus varieties and species and tried to help you identify Ficus by leaf. in addition, we showed you how to get help from house plant identifier, one of the best plant identification tools.
Did you identify your Ficus plant? What was its name?
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.