Although it can grow to 10 to 12 feet in height, the Banana Leaf Ficus is becoming a popular houseplant. It has dark green 8" to 10" long narrow leaves that appear in a drooping form and it does not shed its foliage like its relative the Ficus benjamina ("Weeping Fig"). It is grown as both a standard form, as well as a shrub/bush type plant. The Banana Leaf Fig prefers full sun to partial shade and regular watering but once established is drought tolerant. It can be pruned to keep it to a manageable size and stem cuttings can be rooted for additional plants.

I purchased my Ficus 'Alii' in a 1gal. container in 2007 and gave it a home in my screened pool area. It received full, filtered sun all day and did really well until our last two frigid winters. I thought it had succumbed to the cold so this past spring I moved the container out to a corner of the backyard until I could get a chance to empty the pot. One day last month I noticed new sprouts at the base of the trunk so I pruned away all of the dead branches and the tree is beginning to look like it may be worth saving!

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