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Ficus binnendykii

Ficus binnendykii, Moraceae

Sources last read 13 September 2026.

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Ficus binnendykii is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Can cause skin allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Can cause skin allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Propagation
Root leaf-bud or semi-hardwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Under glass, scale insects, mealybugs, thrips and glasshouse red spider mite can occur. Diseases: honey fungus can occur.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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About the plant

Ficus binnendykii, the narrow-leaf fig, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. An evergreen strangler fig reaching 30 m (100 ft), it is typically found in wet tropical forests at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Found in open, secondary, and undisturbed forests, it has been assessed as Least Concern. It is kept as an ornamental and a houseplant, with the cultivars 'Alii' and 'Amstel King' available from commercial suppliers.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Pen. Thailand to W. Malesia
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
S E Asia
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers green in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Ficus

More of the Moraceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.