Fiddle-leaf fig
Ficus lyrata
Also called Fiddle leaf and Banjo fig
Houseplant · Trees & big statementsHates being moved and hates wet feet. Pick its corner once and water only when the top inch is dry.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Very hard
- Water
- Every 9 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 3 m tall · 1.2 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- Western Africa
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses.
PeopleIrritates skin
HandlingTake care handling it
The white latex from a cut leaf or stem irritates skin and eyes.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Lower leaves go limp and drop within a fortnight of the pot being turned or moved, while the top of the plant still looks well.Leaf drop after a move · disorder
- A tacky shine on the leaf directly beneath a stem, later going sooty black, before the flat brown bumps on the stem read as anything but bark.Scale insect · pest