Ficus altissima extremes- giant tree and espalier

[Eric in Orlando]

Two size extremes for Ficus altissima, False Banyan

giant tree growning in Boca Raton

and an espalier in the Four Arts Gardens in Palm Beach

[fastfeat]

I remember there's a park (maybe civic center?) in Boca that has a bunch of big F. benghalensis (I think) as well.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

It is Boca Raton City Hall. They cut two of them down before Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. Some people really hate them, even if they are historic and planted in 1935.

Here is one of them.\

[Eric in Orlando]

That is a nice one !!!

[fastfeat]

Thanks Jerry.

[stefano]

Why do some people hate them? Are the leaves of F. altissima smaller, yet similar to F. benghalensis? do they have a different growth habit in S. FL.?

thanks

stefano

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The reason some people hated them is that they had whitefly pretty badly and it was almost like it was snowing underneath them. Plus they dropped fruit and dripped sap onto some VIP's car, the ultimate sin in Boca.

I always get altissima confused with benghalensis, they are very similar.

[stefano]

How can you distinguish altissima from benghalensis? Can the city treat pests like whitefly or pesticides/systemics are banned? Also is the pollinator wasp present in Florida?

thanks

stefano

[stefano]

`pollinators are present http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources/research-curation/projects/chalcidoids/pdf_X/NadelFrKn992.pdf

[Walt]

Both of those trees Eric and Jerry posted are impressive. My climate is too cold in the winter to ever get a ficus species as big as those two, although there are some huge F. benghalensis and F. elastica close to 60 years old around some of the lakes. My Ficus altissima 'variegata' gets partially frozen back most winters. It was hurt the worst during 2010 (both January and December). Lots of the subsidiary roots around the base were killed, and some of those roots were 4-5 inches in diameter. Now my tree doesn't have as wide a spread close to the ground. This tree grew back from the roots, when it was completely frozen down to the roots from the January 5, 2001 radiational freeze. It's big enough now that it will probably never get killed, but only partially frozen back on the outside of the tree. I'm not sure how tall my F. altissima is, but the philodendrom selloums to the right, growing around the Sabal palmetto are 8-9 feet high for scale. Lastly, this tree was 98% defoliated in 2010. Talk about one hell of a leaf clean up!

[Josh76]

Walt - what were your lows in the years when the altissima was cut back? I'm wondering if it's as hardy (if not hardier) as F. macrophylla?

Edited August 11, 2012 by Josh76

[Walt]

  On 8/11/2012 at 10:38 PM, Josh76 said:

Walt - what were your lows in the years when the altissima was cut back? I'm wondering if it's as hardy (if not hardier) as F. macrophylla?

I bought my Ficus altissima locally from a small nursery. I didn't even know what species it was, only a ficus.

I planted my Ficus altissima in April of 2000. It was a single trunk about 6 feet high with a trunk of no more than one inch in diamter. It grew very fast and by January of 2001 was about 12 feet high and had a 4 inch diameter trunk at ground level.

Then, on January 5, 2001, all of Florida was hit by a severe radiational freeze. I recorded a low of 22 degrees, but that was on the south side of my house. It surely was slightly colder in other parts of my property. Archbold Biological Station (10 mile south of me) tied their all-time low of 13 degrees. My Ficus was frozen down to the roots. I cut the trunk off at ground level so I could mow over it, not knowing this particular species of ficus will come back from the roots.

Several weeks later I started to see new grow pushing up around the cut off, flush to the ground stump. Many branches started growing. It was at that point my ficus became bushy. But it grew and grew, each winter getting some damage. Some winters it only got frost damage to some leaves. Other winter it got wood damage to varying degrees.

In January of 2010 it got hurt bad, lots of dead wood around the outside of the tree. But in December of 2010 it got hurt very badly. So bad that I lost some big branches up to 6 inches in diameter on it's north side. I cut them down except for one that I though would crash down on my P. selloums planted near by. The remaining dead branch was finally blown down during tropical storm Debby. Luckily, it didn't hurt my selloums. But to the point, my large ficus saw 20.8 degrees in December of 2010. That was my all time record low since I moved here 14 years ago.

This past winter was relatively mild and there was no damage to my F. altissima. It still holds a few small dead branches from the 2010 freezes. I'm convinced now that I will never lose this tree, as the outside of the tree helps protect the bigger inside (branches) of the tree by insulating it.

I have another large F. altissima 'variegata' I bought one year after the one in question. It is planted near the south side of my property, in more indirect sun, but also where it is more protected and slightly warmer at night. But this tree hasn't grown as big as my first tree, even though I bought them from the same nursery. It's still fairly big, just not as big.

Below is my F. altissima after some of the January of 2010 freezes.

http://outdoors.webs...042496162CTWhEL

[Josh76]

Thanks for the info Walt. Sounds like it might be a touch less hardy than F. macrophylla. Your location must be the absolute limit for this SouthEast Asian tree!

[stefano]

I am wondering if anyone in Florida is growing some Mexican species. Ficus cotinifolia has beautiful red / bronze leaves when new, and nice venation. the leaves are small and oval and can develop aerial roots. Ficus obtusifolia is also beautiful with large venated leathery leaves that can be compared to Ficus benghalensis. Probably they are hardier than the Indian species.

[Josh76]

I'm not familiar with those species Stefano. I'm actually in Mexico City at the moment - I wonder if there are any sources nearby? I will be visiting the jardín botanico UNAM later this week so hope to see some native species there. I've also heard that there is a great botanic garden in Xalapa - anyone have any other recommendations? I'm also keen to source Ficus insipida.

[stefano]

I was in the Yucatan peninsula and collected seeds. very viable. and a sapling from an abandoned lot.

Ficus crocata has different names, it was a bit of a mess, but then I had ID confirmed by emailing some prof at some Mexican Botanic institution.

I am not sure if tehy grow near Mexico city, but if you google those species you will find them.

The most viable seeds I got from a dried squished fig / syconium outside Cancun airport. They had mostly non native Ficus microcarpa / retusa and F. benjamina as landscape but there was one or 2 F. crocata that was really looking healthier. I think the Mexican species are more wind / salt tolerant.

I saw a Ficus obtusifolia growing on the beach, in sand next to the bar shack. Only Coccoloba uvifera and Coconut palms could grow there. there was a Ficus benjamina nearby (not on the sand) that looked like deadwood with a few green twigs. I saw many Ficus maxima growing near mangrove swamps with brackish waters. Also I think in Yucatan they may have colder spells than India

[fastfeat]

  On 8/11/2012 at 10:38 PM, Josh76 said:

Walt - what were your lows in the years when the altissima was cut back? I'm wondering if it's as hardy (if not hardier) as F. macrophylla?

Ficus altissima is decidedly less cold-tolerant (and requires more heat during the warm months) than F. macrophylla. I only know of one (and may have seen another?) F. altissima (variegated) in SoCal; it is healthy and happy but small, not young. I'd put it on par with F. benghalensis (slow and compact, little frost) in mildest coastal CA. Probably worth growing in milder portions of coastal LA/SD metro areas for someone who wants something different. The variegation is quite stable, and it is more likely to be found as a houseplant at a higher-end nursery than at the "2gal Assorted Tropical Foliage $11.88" of your local green product emporium.

May be worth trying in sheltered (from hottest overhead/reflected sun) low desert locations, though I'm not sure just how tolerant it is of intense dry heat. F. benghalensis performs very well in Phoenix (and probably the Coachella Valley) where the cooler-loving F. macrophylla won't grow.

[Walt]

Below are several photos of my next to largest Ficus altissima 'variegata'. I bought this one about one year after my first one. It was approximately the same size as the first one, and I got it from the same nursery.

I have this one planted near my drivway entrance to my property. My gate is set back about 150 feet from the road. This area is on the south side of my property and is slightly warmer at night during radiational cooling nights.

I walked around my property with a digital pocket thermometer and also a thermacouple to see where the warmest areas are, and without a doubt the southside of my property is the warmest, maybe averaging 3-5 degrees warmer, depending on location. The formation of frost is greatly reduced in these areas.

The below F. altissima is rarely cold damaged compared to my biggest one out in the open with full northern exposure. However, the below ficus did get some damage in December of 2010, which as I stated earlier, was the coldest on record for me. In fact, I believe December of 2010 was the coldest (average) on record for Florida and Georgia.

Informational captions are below each photo.

Above photo shows my Ficus altissima growing on the right side of my driveway back to my property. It's growing in an irregular shape due to growing into and around slash pines.

Above photo shows my Ficus altissima from inside my entrance gate, looking southwest.

Above photo shows the base of my Ficus altissima. This base is far smaller with much less spread than my larger one.

Above photo shows a small Ficus altissima I am growing from cuttings I took off my big tree. I have five more similar to this growing in different areas of my property. The trouble is, they keep getting frozen back. I should say they got frozen back the winter of 2009-2010 and again in 2010-2011. But this past winter they escaped wood injury, just some partial defoliation.

In the extreme middle left of my photo are four Hibiscus tiliaceus tree saplings I made from local cuttings. I just planted these out this spring. I have other planted in different areas. I love these trees, and they can get big, but probably not for me. I used to have a variegated H. tiliaceus and it would get frozen down to the roots every winter. Finally, after the 3rd or 4th winter it didn't come back.

[fastfeat]

For Southern Californians who are looking for young Ficus altissima 'Variegata', I stumbled across some today at H&H Nursery (6220 Lakewood Blvd at the powerlines, Lakewood). They're (probably) onsite-grown 3gal for $29 (with three plants/pot that could be separated easily), acclimated to outdoors. Probably about 10 or so for sale, maybe more in back?

[Eric in Orlando]

those variegated F. altissima were very commonly sold here 10 years ago or so, mixed in with interior foliage plants. But I never see them anymore. I see a few planted around, there is 2 growing very nicely and getting large at the Black Hammock bar/restaurant on the south shore of Lake Jessup in Oviedo.

I saw a good sized F. altissima a couple weeks ago in Daytona Beach, right off Main St.