Ficus - Altissima - Local Pickup only

If you’re in love with ficus trees and are looking for a fun new variety to add to your collection, try Ficus altissima! This gorgeous tree will be the perfect addition to your home and brighten up your space with its gorgeous leaves.

Also called the council tree or lofty fig, Ficus altissima is native to the tropics of Southeastern Asia and can reach up to 100 feet tall outdoors. (Don’t worry, it will only reach about 6 feet indoors so it won’t burst through your roof.) This epiphytic plant typically grows on other trees and puts down aerial roots to reach the ground and eventually support itself, much like the Indian Banyan tree. Also like the famed Banyan tree, Ficus altissima can grow very wide in its native habitat.  

The oblong, slightly pointed leaves of Ficus altissima look similar to those of a rubber tree, but not quite as rounded, and typically with more prominent veins. The leaves also look similar to those of Ficus Audrey, especially when it’s young, but the leaves are longer and a little more pointed than the rounded leaves of Ficus Audrey. They also lack Audrey’s characteristic fuzzy texture and instead are much smoother and shinier!

Most Ficus altissima plants you’ll find online and in stores (when you can find them in stores) will be the yellow gem cultivar, which sports variegated leaves in beautiful shades of emerald and lime green.

If you’ve had experience caring for other ficus plants like Ficus lyrata, Ficus elastica, or a fig tree, you’ll have no problem caring for Ficus altissima. But if this is your first ficus, don’t worry, Ficus altissima care isn’t hard. We have some excellent care tips for your new plant.