Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
Mexico
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Pink cestrum, Red cestrum, Purple cestrum
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
175800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, High elevation, Roadsides
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1510-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
300.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Magenta, Crimson, Violet
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Water carefully
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Birds
Allergy
-
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai, Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
-
Reduce Bruises
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Seeds
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
CESTRUM elegans
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
Crimson cestrum, Elegant poison-berry, Purple cestrum, Red cestrum
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
Butterfly Flower plant
रो अंजीर
In German
Schmetterlings-Blumen- Anlage
Birkenfeige
In French
usine de fleur de papillon
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
planta de la flor de mariposa
higo llorón
In Greek
φυτό Πεταλούδα λουλούδι
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
planta de flor de borboleta
chorando fig
In Polish
Motyl Kwiat roślin
płacz rys
In Latin
Flos plantae Gloria
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Solanales
Urticales
Family
Solanaceae
Moraceae
Genus
Cestrum
Ficus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Cestreae
Ficeae
Subfamily
Browallioideae
-
Number of Species
250850
1
27800
👆🏻