Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Tree
Origin
Southeastern Asia
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
200800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Green
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green, Ivory
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Ivory
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Ivory
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Ivory
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
V-Shaped
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial shade, Full Shade
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
Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Where to Plant?
Container
Ground
How to Plant?
From Rhizomes
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially
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
Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
-
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Rats, Snails
Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Flowers
Insignificant
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
-
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Bugs, Snails
Birds
Allergy
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Reduce Bruises
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
ALOCASIA micholitziana
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
Elephant Ear, Taro
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
अरवी
रो अंजीर
In German
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)
Birkenfeige
In French
Colocasia
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
Colocasia
higo llorón
In Greek
Colocasia
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
Colocasia
chorando fig
In Polish
Kolokazja
płacz rys
In Latin
Colocasia
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arales
Urticales
Family
Araceae
Moraceae
Genus
Alocasia
Ficus
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Colocasiodeae
Ficeae
Subfamily
Aroideae
-
Number of Species
10850
1
27800
👆🏻