FICUS pumila (=F. repens)

Very elegant vigorous the Ficus species, perennial and evergreen, with fast growth and climbing habit, native to tropical Asia: with its practically infinite development, it can reach and exceed in a few years even 8 m in height and even more in width! Branched and lignified already from the foot, it is composed of various thin stems with an upward trend that, thanks to the roots, able to adhere, rise and cover any surface. Numerous leathery and lanceolate leaves, bright green colored, are grafted alternately on these branches; in reality this is the appearance of the foliage in the adult stage of the plant, while in the juvenile they are smaller, thinner and rounded: this particular phenomenon, that is the change in the shape of the leaves or the coexistence of leaves with different shapes, is known in Botany as " Heteroblasty". In late spring or early summer, as in many species of the same genus, characteristic inflorescences can be observed, composed of tiny white flowers and wrapped in a hollow shell called "syconium": if fertilized, they swell and become evident in ripening as "figs".

Suitable to any type of well-drained soil, and for sunny or partial shade positions, it is resistant to saltiness of sea winds and also to periods of prolonged drought; it also demonstrates a good tolerance to low winter temperatures, managing to withstand even a few degrees below zero. It does not require special interventions: in spring eliminate dry or damaged parts together with bulky branches and shorten some stems to stimulate their thicker growth. Ideal for cultivation on terraces or balconies, both for covering walls and as falling from suspended pots, it is in the open ground, however, that it has the possibility of expressing itself with all its vigor, managing, in a short time and with very little effort, to colonize extensive walls transforming them into impeccable green scenes in every season of the year and an ideal backdrop to emphasize herbaceous blooms, bushes and shrubs in general.