Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island’
Green island fig
This species is native from Ceylon to India, southern China, Ryukyu Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia. It is not native to the United States, but it has gained a vigorous foothold in the southern US. It is rugged and does well as bonsai.
Plants: There is a great deal of confusion over several closely related Ficus species. This rather spirited article attempts to sort out several commonly confused species. This ficus is epiphitic, often serving as a host for other plants. Mature trees can reach 60′ (18 m) in height, dangling many aerial roots. This dwarf cultivar, however, does not exceed 3′ (1 m) in height.
Leaves: Orbicular, nearly round, with only a barely discernible tip. This distinguishes them from the variety Ficus microcarpa var. crassifolia, which has obovate leaves.
Flowers: Invisible. Seriously. Flowers grow in the interiors of the immature fruits, requiring pollinators to drill in.
Fruits: Figs, about ½″ (1.3 cm) around, green, maturing to red and then purplish black. They are, um, kinda round—depending upon who you consult, they are “globose, globular, spherical, subglobose, ovoid, obovate, oblong, oblate, oblate-spherical, or pyriform.”
Habitats: The natural species prefers warm humid tropical and subtropical climates, such as tropical rainforests, river edges, coasts, swamps and mangroves.
Edibility: Technically fruits are edible, but not appealing.
Online References:
Bonsai. Labelled Ficus retusa ‘Green Island,’ but this may not be correct. · 12/12/2016 · Bonsai West, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (43 × 33 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Rosales | Rose family and eight others |
| Family | Moraceae | Mulberry/fig family |
| Genus | Ficus | A Latin name for the fig |
| Species | microcarpa | Small-fruited |
Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island’ description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.