Sycamore Fig

Ficus sycomorus

Native to:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Moraceae
Genus:
Ficus
Species:
Ficus sycomorus
USDA Symbol:
FISY2

Growth Characteristics

Height:
2000 cm
Light Requirements:
Full Sun
Drought Tolerance:
Medium

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:
★★★☆☆ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:
birds, bats, monkeys, small mammals
Fire Ecology:
Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
Fire Notes:
Mature trees can resprout from the trunk and roots following fire damage due to thick bark.

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
fertile, well-drained loamy soil
pH:
6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:
tolerates poor drainage
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
Commonly found along riverbanks and floodplains.

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:
None required
Germination Time:
14–30 days
Notes:
Seeds require light for germination and should not be deeply buried. Fresh seeds germinate readily without pretreatment.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI