Botanical atlas

Weeping Fig

Ficus benjamina

Across South and Southeast Asia, fig trees like this one have long been planted beside temples, homes, and village squares, their cascading branches and aerial roots woven into local folklore as symbols of longevity, shelter, and ancestral presence. Some traditional healers in the region turned to the leaves and bark of related fig species for minor skin complaints, though Ficus benjamina itself was valued far more as shade and ornament than as a medicine chest plant. Its modern fame rests largely on a different kind of tradition: it has become one of the most beloved indoor trees in the world, brought into homes and offices for its elegant, weeping form as much as any practical use. In the late 1980s, it also earned a place in NASA's landmark Clean Air Study, which found it capable of drawing common household toxins like formaldehyde out of indoor air.

Safety.

The milky sap can irritate skin and eyes and is a common trigger for latex-related allergies and asthma symptoms; the plant is also toxic to cats and dogs if chewed.