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wild banyantree

Ficus citrifolia · Moraceae

wild banyantree (Ficus citrifolia)
Photo: Riba · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons

wild banyantree (Ficus citrifolia) is a perennial tree in the Moraceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.

At a glance

Typetree Derived
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusnative USDA
Mature height60 ft USDA
Growth raterapid USDA
Soil pH6–8 USDA
Hardiness zones11 and warmer USDA
Guild layercanopy Derived

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 11.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 60 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows quickly.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is year round. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.

What the site needs to provide

It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.

Propagating it

Propagate it from seed, cuttings and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.

Role in a guild

Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

evergreenclay-tolerantnativeediblefast-growingcanopy

Related plants

Others in Ficus

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol FICI, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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