Ficus exasperata
🍃leaf (5)

Ficus exasperata

Forest sandpaper fig · Sandpaper tree · Brahma's Banyan

Tier 2 Difficulty: easy Water: low Light: partial_sun
Temperature
20–37 °C
Soil pH
6–7
Hardiness
Zone 10–12
Click count
70
Observations
40

Description

Source: leafsnap

Ficus exasperata, also called the sandpaper tree, forest sandpaper fig, white fig, or sandpaper leaf tree, is a deciduous, and dioecious species of plant in the mulberry family Moraceae, native to tropical Africa (an area from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to Angola and Mozambique) and southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Yemen).

Care Guide

💧 Water
☀️ Light Partial sun

King's fig comes from habitats like forest understories and rocky locations where it grows under natural shade. It prefers partial sun but can tolerate full sun or full shade, illustrating its hardy, adaptable nature.

Ideal: Partial sun
🌡️ Temperature 20–37.8°C

King's fig comes from tropical areas, where the weather is usually warm and humid. Because of this, it is adapted to high temperatures and humidity. It does not tolerate sudden temperature changes and prefers a consistent temperature, so keeping indoor temperatures stable is important. It generally cannot withstand cold and needs higher temperatures to grow. If the ambient temperature falls too low, the plant may stop growing or even die.

Ideal temperature: 20–37.8°C
💨 Humidity
Humidity:
🪴 Soil 6-7
Soil pH: 6-7
🌱 Fertilizer

The best time to fertilize a King's fig is in early spring as it breaks dormancy. This encourages overall growth and the development of flowers. Fertilizing improves the leaves, stems, and branches, and encourages flowers that are large, vivid, and long-lasting. It also helps transport nutrients from the roots to the blooms and enhances the plant's health and resistance to disease.

🪴 Pot & Repot
✂️ Pruning
🌿 Propagating
🐛 Diseases & pets
☠️ Toxicity

Characteristics

Plant Type
Tree
Life Cycle
Perennial
Genus
Ficus
Family
Moraceae
Hardiness Zone
10-12
Mature Height
20.12 m
Mature Spread
4.88 m to 10.06 m
Leaf Color
Green
Leaf Type
Evergreen
Bloom Time
Late spring, Summer, Early fall, Mid fall
Planting Time
Spring, Summer
Harvest Time
Mid summer, Late summer, Fall, Early winter
Native Area
India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Bangladesh, China

Tags (5)

Common Names (3)

en Forest sandpaper fig
en Sandpaper tree
en Brahma's Banyan