Ficus carica is a deciduous fruit tree belonging to the Moraceae family, native to southwestern Asia and the Mediterranean basin.

It can reach a height of 5–10 meters, but in cultivation it is often kept shorter. It features a broad and irregular crown, with twisted branches and grayish bark, valued both for its production of sweet, fleshy fruits known as figs and for its rustic ornamental appearance.

The leaves are large, palmately lobed (3–5 lobes), thick and rough, with a deep green color that turns and falls in autumn. The flowers are very small and enclosed within the fleshy receptacle that will form the fruit—the fig. The fruits can vary in color from green to purple, black, or yellow, and may be uniferous (producing one crop in summer) or biferous (producing both early summer “breba” figs and main crop figs in late summer).

The fig tree loves full sun and, once mature, is highly drought-tolerant. It prefers loose, well-drained soil but also adapts to poor or calcareous soils, as long as there is no water stagnation. It is hardy and can withstand temperatures down to -10 °C or lower. Pruning is done in winter to maintain shape and encourage fruiting, favoring young branches that produce more fruit.

Ficus carica is widely used in vegetable gardens and orchards, but also as an ornamental plant in Mediterranean-style gardens and can be grown in containers on sunny terraces.

→ Discover other ornamental fruit trees