Creeping Fig

Ficus pumila

  • Evergreen Vine
  • Attaches itself to rough surfaces
  • Low maintenance
  • Very clean / no blooms

This aggressive but beautiful evergreen vine is a relative of the edible fig, Ficus cariaca, but bears little resemblance to it’s close cousin. Creeping fig is an enthusiastic climber able to scramble up vertical surfaces 3 and 4 stories tall with the aid of a powerful adhesive. This vine coats surfaces with a tracery of fine stems that are densely covered with small heart shaped leaves that are 1 inch long by about .75 inches wide, they are held closely to the surface creating a mat of foliage that extends barely 1 inches from the surface. These are the juvenile leaves.

Once the vine has reached the top of its support if will begin to form horizontal branches on which adult foliage is borne. Adult leaves are held alternately in two rows along these branches. They are more leathery than the juveniles, and are dark green, and about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide. The fruit is a fig. These are borne only on the horizontal stems, they are pale green in color and about 3 inches long by 2.5 inches wide.

Common Name:  Climbing Fig, Creeping Ficus

AD