2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Ficus, one of the largest and most diverse genera of woody plants, comprises about 750 species of mostly trees but also some shrubs and vines. In subtropical and tropical areas and indoors everywhere species of Ficus are much used and highly valued as landscape subjects, typically as trees for shade, park, homes, and streets but also as shrubs for groundcovers, borders, hedges, and topiary, and vines for covering walls, barriers, and other structures. The vast diversity in habit, from vines to trees, and environmental adaptation, from deserts to rain forests, means that there is a species of Ficus for nearly every landscape situation. Many people who study, grow, and/or maintain species of Ficus in landscape settings are probably not too familiar with their natural history (especially its unusual pollination biology) and would likely benefit from timely, applied information about selection of appropriate species, propagation, and landscape management (especially new, emerging pests and diseases). Photo: F. benghalensis L.