Fiddle-Leaf
1 entry found.
Fiddle-Leaf
Common Name: Fiddle-Leaf Fig (compact), Fiddle-Leaf, banjo Fig
Botanical Name: Ficus lyrata 'Compacta' and F. lyrata (FI-cus li-RA-ta)
Decorative Life: Years.
Post Harvest Care:
- Like all figs, is sensitive to over- or under-watering with yellow leaves being the result.
- 'Compacta' reportedly has a much better root system than its larger cousin (F. lyrata), which results in significantly better postharvest performance.
Harvest Instructions: 'Compacta' can be easily grown from tissue culture whereas the normal form (F. lyrata) is propagated using the much more difficult air layering technique.
Family Roots:
- Member of the Moraceae (mulberry family).
- Common relatives include mulberry, osage-orange, Cannabis (marijuana), hops and other figs.
- Native to Tropical West and central Africa but the 'Compacta' form came from Europe.
Personality:
- The non-'Compacta' form can grow to 40 feet, sometimes starting as an epiphyte and eventually strangling its host to death.
- However, it is the 'Compacta' cultivar that offers the best quality and form for an indoor foliage plant. This selection has large fiddle-shaped leaves closely spaced on stems.
Availability: Year-round.
Flower Color: Not applicable.
Storage Specifics: Chill sensitive, hold at or above 55F.
Tidbits:
- Ficus is from the Latin name for the edible fig.
- The specific epithet name "lyrata" means shaped like a lyre which is a harp class instrument, in reference to its leaves. Hence, the selection of the common names.