Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Ficus benjamina
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Number of Varieties
80010
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
gardens
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2,440.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
3,050.00 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
White, Pink, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Elliptic
Round
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Layering
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Water carefully
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch, Soft scales
Insects, Mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
-
Allergy
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
-
Beauty Benefits
Reduce Bruises
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Astringent
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Container
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
FICUS benjamina
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
रो अंजीर
भारतीय पालक
In German
Birkenfeige
Indian Spinat
In French
figuier pleureur
épinards indienne
In Spanish
higo llorón
espinaca india
In Greek
κλάμα σύκο
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
chorando fig
espinafre indiano
In Polish
płacz rys
Indyjski szpinak
In Latin
Plorans ficum
Spinach Indian
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Urticales
Caryophyllales
Family
Moraceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Ficus
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Ficeae
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
8505
1
27800
👆🏻