Shrubs or trees, evergreen, to 15 m. Roots adventitious, aerial, hanging. Bark brownish, smooth. Branchlets grayish, glabrous or sparingly pubescent. Leaves: stipules 0.5-2 cm, glabrous; petiole (0.7-)1.5-6 cm. Leaf blade ovate to elliptic or obovate, 3-14 × 1.5-8 cm, nearly leathery, base usually cordate or rounded to obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute or acuminate; surfaces abaxially and adaxially glabrous; basal veins 1(-2) pairs; lateral veins fewer than 10, if more than 10, not uniformly spaced. Syconia solitary or paired, pedunculate, yellow or red, spotted, globose to globose-ovoid, 8-18 mm diam., glabrous; peduncles to ca. 15 mm; subtending bracts 2, shortly connate, deltate or broadly rounded, 2-3 mm wide, glabrous or puberulent; ostiole subtended by 3 bracts, bracts ovate, ca. 1 × 2-3 mm, slightly umbonate.

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Tropical hammocks
Elevation: 0-10 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America.

Discussion

Ficus citrifolia is the large and graceful banyan tree that is planted for shade around verandas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.