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Banana leaf fig

Ficus maclellandii, Moraceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Long Leaf Fig.

Banana leaf fig (Ficus maclellandii), the whole plant.
Luca Bove, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • 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.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Dappled Sunlight, Deep shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Moist
NC State Extension · 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
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
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Use a potting mix that drains well, and water when the upper 1-2 inches of soil have dried, as soggy soil does not suit them.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Feeding twice a year is enough.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seed, stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Prune for size if needed. The stems hold latex that can give some people contact dermatitis, so take care when cutting them.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by banded greenhouse thrips.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Banana leaf fig (Ficus maclellandii) foliage.
Close upKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Banana leaf fig (Ficus maclellandii) growing in a pot.
In a potDavid J, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Ficus maclellandii is a species of fig plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to eastern India, Bangladesh, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, and Yunnan in south-central China. It is an evergreen often grown as a houseplant in temperate climates. The leaves are 8–13 cm and uniquely dimorphic; with narrow leaves on the lower, sterile branches and broader leaves on the higher branches.

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

Native range
Assam to China (Yunnan) and Pen. Malaysia (Kedah)
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
China, Malaysia
NC State Extension · 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
Shrub, Tree; habit erect, irregular
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 72–120 in; width 48–72 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
The tiny flowers develop within the fig.
NC State Extension · 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.