Weeping Fig / Benjamin Tree
Ficus benjamina
Also known as Java Fig, Golden Fig, Benjamin Fig
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ficus benjamina
- Genus
- Ficus
- Family
- Moraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Planted
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Mediterranean
- Distribution
- India, Bhutan, China, Bangaladesh, Malesia to Solomon Islands, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, N. Ausralia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Delhi, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Puducherry, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“The changeable leaves are simple, entire and stalked.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- Elliptic (widest at middle)recorded
- Leaf margin
- EntirerecordedA smooth, unbroken edge with no teeth or notches.“The changeable leaves are simple, entire and stalked.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“The young foliage is light green and slightly wavy, the older leaves are green and smooth;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Weeping Fig itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish“The inflorescences are spherical to egg-shaped, shiny green, and have a diameter of 1.5 cm (1⁄2 inch).” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Catkin
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Weeping Fig itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- पुकर pukar
- Nepali
- समी Sami, स्वामी Swami, शमी
- Bengali
- লক্ষ পাকুড়
- Tamil
- நீண்டமரவகை nintamaravakai, வெள்ளால் vellal, வெள்ளால்
- Telugu
- Konda golugu, konda zuvvi, పెద్దాzఉవ్వీ pedda zuvvi
- Kannada
- ಜಾವಾಅತ್ತಿ Java atthi, ಜೀವಿ Jeevi
- Malayalam
- putra juvi, വെള്ളാൽ
- Marathi
- नांदरूक nandaruk, नांदरूख nandarukh
Weeping Fig in India
This popular ornamental tree, known as पुकर pukar (Hindi), நீண்டமரவகை nintamaravakai (Tamil), Konda golugu (Telugu), ಜಾವಾಅತ್ತಿ Java atthi (Kannada), putra juvi (Malayalam), नांदरूक nandaruk (Marathi), is one of the most widely planted Ficus species worldwide. Ficus benjamina is grown across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, both outdoors as a shade tree and indoors as a houseplant.
Uses
It's grown almost entirely as an ornamental — as a large outdoor shade and hedge tree in warm climates, and, kept smaller through pruning, as one of the most common indoor houseplants worldwide.
How to Identify Weeping Fig
An evergreen tree (or, indoors, a shrub-sized houseplant) with slender, drooping branches and small, glossy, pointed-oval leaves that give it a graceful, weeping silhouette. Small figs ripen from green to red, though the tree rarely fruits noticeably indoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Benjamin tree called in different Indian languages?
- पुकर pukar (Hindi); நீண்டமரவகை nintamaravakai (Tamil); Konda golugu (Telugu); ಜಾವಾಅತ್ತಿ Java atthi (Kannada); putra juvi (Malayalam); नांदरूक nandaruk (Marathi); লক্ষ পাকুড় (Bengali).
- Why does it drop leaves indoors?
- It's sensitive to changes in light, temperature or draughts, and commonly sheds some leaves after being moved or when conditions shift — usually recovering once settled in a stable spot.
- Is it related to the edible fig?
- Yes — it's in the same genus (Ficus) as the edible fig (Ficus carica), though Ficus benjamina is grown for its foliage, not its small, largely inedible fruit.
Moraceae
Fig/Mulberry family
Weeping Fig belongs to the Moraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Moraceae
View all Moraceae →Sources: GBIF — Ficus benjamina (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Ficus benjamina (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)