Hi Sosim3,
In my experience, nurseries that sell plants usually have decent
information on the growth requirements and statistics that you've
asked for here. It helps to know the binomial for the plant - which
you've given as Ficus barteri. I've seen some references that suggest
that this may be known by other names as well - F. irregularis and F.
longifolia among them - but feel that F. barteri is well-known as a
standard name. Botany can be confusing when people name the same
species with several different things!
This tree is native to West Africa, and grows in tropical climates,
zone 10+. It likes full sun and moderate watering. It grows to about
10 meters - approx 30-40 feet - and likes humidity. It will grow
indoors given a moist atmosphere (it looks like misting will keep it
happy) and full sun.
The Plant World Nursery has clear instructions on care when F. barteri
is used as an indoor specimen:
http://www.plantworldnursery.com/publishingdirectory/subs/varietysubs/ficus/ficusbarteri.htm
Here is the official description of the type specimen (the one that
defines all others - kind of like the "perfect tree"):
"Tree up to 10 m. tall, hemi-epiphytic, or a shrub. Leafy twigs 3?5
mm. thick, glabrous, periderm not flaking off. Leaves spirally
arranged; lamina lanceolate to linear, or less often oblong to
elliptic, (5.5)10?18(30) x 1.5?3.5(7) cm., coriaceous; apex acuminate
to subacute; base acute to rounded; margin entire; both surfaces
glabrous; lateral veins 10?20 pairs, tertiary venation reticulate or
parallel to the lateral veins; petiole 1?4.5 cm. long, c. 2 mm. thick,
epidermis not flaking off when dry; stipules 5?20 mm. long, glabrous,
caducous. Figs in pairs in the leaf axils; peduncle (5)10?25 mm. long;
basal bracts 1.5?2 mm. long, caducous. Receptacle globose, 1?1.5 cm.
in diam. when fresh, c. 0.5?1 cm. in diam. when dry, glabrous, smooth
to verruculose, yellow to orange at maturity."
I found this description at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Flora
Zambesica website: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/efloras/namedetail.do?qry=namelist&flora=fz&taxon=100&nameid=480
I recognize that botanical Latin can be a bit daunting - you can
probably ignore most of the description as it deals with leaf, flower,
and fruit characteristics.
This page also gives information and pictures of the tree:
Fig Web: South Africa
http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/Subgenus_Urostigma/Section_Galoglychia/Subsection_Cyathistipulae/Ficus_barteri.htm
To find this information I worked through the results found by doing a
Google search for "Ficus barteri". If you're looking for general
information about fig trees, I suggest you look for Ficus benjamina -
this is the tree that is usually sold as a houseplant.
Please let me know if there's further information about this tree that
I can find for you!
Librariankt |
