Ficus variegata
Ficus variegata
One packet contains 10 seeds.
Ficus variegata is a species of fig tree found throughout Southeast Asia, often growing on forested floodplains or town’s edges. Also known as the variegated fig or red-stem fig, it is a fast-growing tree that reaches 7 to 37 m (23 to 120 ft) high. Its leaves are large and heart-shaped. The tree is easily recognized by its cauliflory, meaning that fruit grows directly out of its trunk. These edible, red-brown figs are about a half inch in diameter. As the species is dioecious, there are male and female trees. Specialized fig wasps carry out pollination by breeding inside the figs, part of a mutually beneficial relationship, and the trees flower asynchronously to support the wasps throughout the year. Ficus variegata interacts with many other animals; its fruit is eaten and seeds dispersed by as many as 41 species, including fruit bats, orangutans, gibbons, wild pigs, and deer. The tree also produces a kind of wax used in the art of batik, a method of resist-dyeing to create patterned textiles.
Suitable for outdoor planting in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 to 11
Minimum tested germination rate is 60%