Ficus dammaropsis Highland & Lowland forms side by side

[MattyB]

My Ficus dammaropsis lowland form is about 6' tall now, has some large size leaves, and is making flowers.   Here's the pics of the highland form... 

[MattyB]

Here's the pics of the lowland form....

[MattyB]

Here's the side by side with the highland form on the left and the lowland form on the right...

[MattyB]

So far it looks like the lowland form is more sun/heat tolerant than the highland form.  My highland form gets scorched every summer when temps get in the upper 90s f.

[Tracy]

18 hours ago, MattyB said:

Wow, that is a distinctive looking fruit.  It is interesting to note that what you are referring to as "Lowland" was what I originally heard was the "Highland" and your "Highland" was what I heard was "Lowland". 

Mine didn't end up surviving sadly.  I also have the red fruiting of what I will reference as the "originally available" form which has the tighter fruit as opposed to the one of yours I posted of the more open fruit.  My red fruit form never wants to grow vertically, it's always wanting to crawl on the ground.  What is your advice Master Gardener?

[Josh-O]

My lowland is massive now for only being in the ground for just 1 yr.

[Michael Smith]

These lowland forms really grow fast! Excellent plants.

[Matt in OC]

Matty, I think you have them switched in the first post. Great plants!

[Palm Tree Jim]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:57 AM, Tracy said:

Wow, that is a distinctive looking fruit.  It is interesting to note that what you are referring to as "Lowland" was what I originally heard was the "Highland" and your "Highland" was what I heard was "Lowland". 

Mine didn't end up surviving sadly.  I also have the red fruiting of what I will reference as the "originally available" form which has the tighter fruit as opposed to the one of yours I posted of the more open fruit.  My red fruit form never wants to grow vertically, it's always wanting to crawl on the ground.  What is your advice Master Gardener?

Sorry to hear that you lost this plant.

After a small setback last year, mine has grown rather fast in 2019.  It's probably almost 7 feet and continues to grow up to the sun. 

[Ittai Baratz]

I just read that the lowland Dammaropsis is pollinated by a different wasp and was recently given his own name - Ficus Brusii:

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg/research/publications/gardens-bulletin-singapore/-/media/sbg/gardens-bulletin/gbs_71_s2_y2019/71_s2_15_y2019_v71s2_gbs_pg197.pdf

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

At times, my ficus damaropsis look like both

[Ittai Baratz]

The Syconium of Ficus Dammaropsis and Ficus Brusii looks very different - So for fruiting plants it should be easy to differentiate:

Ficus Brusii: (f.k.a lowland Dammaropsis)

Ficus Dammaropsis:

[Josh-O]

very fast growing indeed. from a  tiny 1 gallon to 6' tall in only 1 year

[gilles06]

Do the fruits give some seeds?

[Tracy]

On 11/19/2019 at 2:28 AM, gilles06 said:

Do the fruits give some seeds?

I think you would need the correct pollinator, which none of us outside of habitat have.  I know Don Hodel was looking into whether the red and green fruit had anything to do with the sex of what I have referred to as the "highland" variety.  As I recall, he shared with me that they both had the male and female flowers inside, so the color had nothing to do with the sex of the fruit.  With the flowers inside the fruit, I don't know how you would hand pollinate without damaging the fruit and destroy the possibility of the pollinated flowers to mature.  I'm mostly speculating based on my meager knowledge.

[gilles06]

Thanks Tracy, i was dreaming of growing it from seeds...

[Josh76]

On 11/22/2019 at 6:26 PM, Tracy said:

I think you would need the correct pollinator, which none of us outside of habitat have.  I know Don Hodel was looking into whether the red and green fruit had anything to do with the sex of what I have referred to as the "highland" variety.  As I recall, he shared with me that they both had the male and female flowers inside, so the color had nothing to do with the sex of the fruit.  With the flowers inside the fruit, I don't know how you would hand pollinate without damaging the fruit and destroy the possibility of the pollinated flowers to mature.  I'm mostly speculating based on my meager knowledge.

Here's an interesting guide to hand-pollinating Ficus carica...  

http://figs4funforum.arghchive.com/post/hand-fig-pollination-procedure-8123027

I wonder if the same method would work for these beautiful species?

[Tracy]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:57 AM, Tracy said:

My red fruit form never wants to grow vertically, it's always wanting to crawl on the ground.  What is your advice Master Gardener?

 

On 10/2/2019 at 6:28 AM, Palm Tree Jim said:

After a small setback last year, mine has grown rather fast in 2019.  It's probably almost 7 feet and continues to grow up to the sun. 

Jim, I neglected to ask if yours is the red fruit or green fruit variety.  Once again, one of my longest limbs is dying back but pushing out multiple new branches close to the trunk.  The two other branches have curled back on themselves and are down crawling on the ground.  I tried using a stake to prop the one branch up and it is the one that ended up dying back from the tip with the new growth low.  It is the branch that is rising up out of the frame next to the fence in the center of the plant in the photo.

Is anyone else having success growing the red fruit form upright and not seeing repeated limb die back?

[Palm Tree Jim]

48 minutes ago, Tracy said:

 

Jim, I neglected to ask if yours is the red fruit or green fruit variety.  Once again, one of my longest limbs is dying back but pushing out multiple new branches close to the trunk.  The two other branches have curled back on themselves and are down crawling on the ground.  I tried using a stake to prop the one branch up and it is the one that ended up dying back from the tip with the new growth low.  It is the branch that is rising up out of the frame next to the fence in the center of the plant in the photo.

Is anyone else having success growing the red fruit form upright and not seeing repeated limb die back?

Tracy,

My highland is the green form. With that being said, mine wants to spread out from the base but not along the ground like yours. The location for the plant is under canopy and I wonder if it's looking for more sun. In order to support the branches, I have used several 2x4's for support. In the past I have also cut back this plant as it encroached over other plants and the wall to my neighbors yard.

Later today, I will post pictures to show what I am referring to.  As it turns out, I am heading down your way (Carlsbad).

[Palm Tree Jim]

Some pictures.

 

 

[Tracy]

I trimmed off the branch back to the point where a healthy offshoot was still growing.  Her is what I found on the dead portion.  In the 4th photo one can see where it was cut and the new branch which is emerging right below where I cut the dying portion.  Final photo shows the original emerging point of the plant and how everything now branches out below that point.  Past dead sections have looked the same over the years.  It just seems to be a cycle the plant goes through from time to time.