Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tree
Origin
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Guaiacum officinale
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
3800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
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
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
370.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Red
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Olive
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Olive
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Olive
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
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
Very Slow
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
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, 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
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Water carefully
In Summer
Consistently
Lots of watering
In Spring
Average Water
Moderate
In Winter
Moderate
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
Prune to stimulate growth
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Fertilize three times a year
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Salt
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Birds
Allergy
Skin irritation
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
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
Bark, Sap
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
GUAIACUM sanctum
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
Lignum Vitae
रो अंजीर
In German
Lignum Vitae
Birkenfeige
In French
Lignum Vitae
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
Palo santo
higo llorón
In Greek
Lignum Vitae
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
pau-santo
chorando fig
In Polish
Lignum Vitae
płacz rys
In Latin
lignum Vitae
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Urticales
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Moraceae
Genus
Guaiacum
Ficus
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Ficeae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
3850
1
27800
👆🏻