Ficus dammaropsis

[Pando]

Just wanted to share - my chambeyropsis™ decided to show up with this wicked-looking reddish bronze new leaf today.

[Pando]

This was a previous leaf just a few weeks ago that is full grown now:

 

[Hammer]

Wow killer!!!

[Chris Chance]

Looks fantastic! One of those plants I've wanted to get a hold of but really hard to find and expensive.

[Palm Tree Jim]

Nice color Pando!

[Pando]

Thanks, I almost lost it late last year. I had problems with my irrigation during hot days in Aug/Sept and I was away for a few weeks. The second branch lost all the leaves. I just noticed though that it started growing two new branches from that branch!

This thing does not like dry soil at all.

[Matt in OC]

Do they all blush new red leaves? Do they all have that red stripe down the middle of the leaf as well or do they vary? Looks amazing!

[Pando]

The new red leaf thing is variable. It's usually happening in spring when it's happy and new growth comes out and opens quickly. It's more muted later in the year. I think most have the reddish veins, but looking at google images some appear green.

I've seen another type that has red leaf sheaths (mine are green as you can tell). There was a large plant at Dr. Darian's neighbor's last July, but later it disappeared. I have a picture of it which I'll post later today.

Then there are some that have red figs. I haven't seen any personally and I don't know anyone who has them here in SoCal, but those look amazing.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Pando

[Pando]

Oh, and those white spots on the leaves - it's not hard water from irrigation, the leaves are perspiring moisture. The plant has a sticky white milky substance as its "blood", and it will drip if you damage it. You can see it in the first image, there is a droplet on the edge.

[Hammer]

This plant loves water.  Last summer it started to wilt from a lack of water one week.  I put a hose on it and I could actually see the leaves start to lift back up as the plant absorbed the water.  Never seen anything like it. 

[Pando]

^ This. I've seen it as well. Amazing to watch.

[Pando]

This is the F. dammaropsis at Dr. Darian's neighbor, taken last July. It has red leaf sheaths, and I just noticed that it has red figs as well (last image), although they are small and few. But, it has green veins. Weird huh?

I didn't notice the plant a few months ago I was there, I don't know if it's just cut back or removed. Looks like it was getting buried in vines.

 

[Hammer]

2 hours ago, Pando said:

This is the F. dammaropsis at Dr. Darian's neighbor, taken last July. It has red leaf sheaths, and I just noticed that it has red figs as well (last image), although they are small and few. But, it has green veins. Weird huh?

I didn't notice the plant a few months ago I was there, I don't know if it's just cut back or removed. Looks like it was getting buried in vines.

 

That's really cool.  Somebody air layer that thing quick!

[Tracy]

On 5/10/2016, 1:06:19, Pando said:

The new red leaf thing is variable

I kept mine in a pot too long, but it really has taken off since I got it in the ground.  While I have seen a "red" leaf, yours is still a much deeper color than mine.  The ones currently opening quickly fade to a bronze, then turn green.  Mine has the red vein on newly opened leaves, but over time it fades to green.  Not sure about the fruit yet, we will have to see what color it is.  The new leaf sheath is definitely red as you can see.

[Ben in Norcal]

These are explosive growers.  Mine is at least 8 feet tall now and I'm not really sure what to do with it!

[Pando]

2 hours ago, Tracy said:

I kept mine in a pot too long, but it really has taken off since I got it in the ground.  While I have seen a "red" leaf, yours is still a much deeper color than mine.  The ones currently opening quickly fade to a bronze, then turn green.  Mine has the red vein on newly opened leaves, but over time it fades to green.  Not sure about the fruit yet, we will have to see what color it is.  The new leaf sheath is definitely red as you can see.

Wow, looks great Tracy! This is definitely the red sheath type just like the Doc's neighbor's. Probably will have red fruit as well. So we have two different varieties here. Very cool!

[Pando]

2 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

These are explosive growers.  Mine is at least 8 feet tall now and I'm not really sure what to do with it!

Looks awesome Ben! Air layer them and make some $$$!

[Ben in Norcal]

18 minutes ago, Pando said:

Looks awesome Ben! Air layer them and make some $$$!

I was trying to, but the one branch I tried to air layer has gone brown and looks to have died.  Maybe I tried that air layer too early in the spring.

This thing is getting so tall...how do you maintain these?  Or do you just let them keep growing?  I may have to take out some palms to accommodate this monster.

[Matt in OC]

Ugh...can't resist. If anyone has any leads on these, I'm interested. Just one more plant to find room and $$$ for!

[Pando]

15 hours ago, Ben in Norcal said:

I was trying to, but the one branch I tried to air layer has gone brown and looks to have died.  Maybe I tried that air layer too early in the spring.

This thing is getting so tall...how do you maintain these?  Or do you just let them keep growing?  I may have to take out some palms to accommodate this monster.

I've heard some successes with a 1g pot being wrapped around the stem with a small area cut into, and keeping it there for 6-12 months, then cutting the branch off only when it's all rooted in the pot. You might need to do partial cuts few at a time in order not to stress the plant.

Ben are you getting any figs on yours? If so, what color are they?

[sbpalms]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2016‎ ‎7‎:‎34‎:‎52‎, Pando said:

This was a previous leaf just a few weeks ago that is full grown now:

 

Amazing! Sometimes my Ficus benjamina likes to make strikingly red leaves, although they are nowhere near as beautiful as this.

[Cindy Adair]

Here's my still little one. Perhaps I should break down and fertilize it. Thanks for the lovely photos. 

[The Silent Seed]

Killer plants / photos! 

Cindy - what's the "tape" on the trunk on yours for? 

[Cindy Adair]

Orange flagging tape from when it was small enough for the ground cover invasive heliconias to swallow it!

[The Silent Seed]

Gotcha! 

[Tracy]

On 5/10/2016, 8:02:40, Pando said:

 

This is the F. dammaropsis at Dr. Darian's neighbor, taken last July. It has red leaf sheaths, and I just noticed that it has red figs as well (last image), although they are small and few. But, it has green veins. Weird huh?

 

Mine has the red veins on the newly opened leaves and for a while thereafter, then they turn green. 

The reason for my new post is to ask if anyone has experienced a growth point seemingly just dying on their Ficus dammaropsis?  The first photo is a current photo of the entire plant, and the second is the original stem which seems to be just withering.  The rest of the plant is fine.  I had a couple of leaves which were smaller on that original stalk, and red fruit which grew just off to the side, below the top leaf.  It seemed to put all its energy into the fruit, then once the fruit fell off a couple of months back, the growth point just stopped even trying to push a healthy new leaf.  A couple of unhealthy leaves tried to form and then aborted, and you can see the end result now.

[Tracy]

On 1/9/2017 at 8:03 PM, Tracy said:

Mine has the red veins on the newly opened leaves and for a while thereafter, then they turn green. 

The reason for my new post is to ask if anyone has experienced a growth point seemingly just dying on their Ficus dammaropsis?  The first photo is a current photo of the entire plant, and the second is the original stem which seems to be just withering.  The rest of the plant is fine.  I had a couple of leaves which were smaller on that original stalk, and red fruit which grew just off to the side, below the top leaf.  It seemed to put all its energy into the fruit, then once the fruit fell off a couple of months back, the growth point just stopped even trying to push a healthy new leaf.  A couple of unhealthy leaves tried to form and then aborted, and you can see the end result now.

Same plant a few years later and a few branch die offs later and the pattern repeats again.  I know I'm not the only one that has had this experience but I wonder if this is more typical of the red fruit form?