Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tree
Origin
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Central America
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
tourist tree, turpentine tree, chaca
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
1800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Sandy stream banks, Tropical rainforest
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-1510-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Twisted/Contorted
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
460.00 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Crimson, Copper
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Compound
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established
Water carefully
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
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 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
Showy
Insignificant
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies, Deers, Hummingbirds
Birds
Allergy
allergic reaction, Eye irritation, Mouth itching, Vomiting
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin condition, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
Reduce Bruises
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Forms dense stands, Nesting sites for birds, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, Headache
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Leaves
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Application in Furniture, Can be made into a herbal tea, Cosmetics
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
BURSERA simaruba
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
Gumbo Limbo, Tourist Tree, Turpentine Tree
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
Bursera simaruba
रो अंजीर
In German
Bursera simaruba
Birkenfeige
In French
Bursera simaruba
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
Bursera simaruba
higo llorón
In Greek
Bursera simaruba
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
Bursera simaruba
chorando fig
In Polish
Bursera simaruba
płacz rys
In Latin
Bursera simaruba
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Urticales
Family
Burseraceae
Moraceae
Genus
Bursera
Ficus
Clade
Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Ficeae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
10850
1
27800
👆🏻