Waringin or Benjamin's Fig

Common Name: Waringin, Benjamin's Fig or Weeping Fig
Scientific Name: Ficus Benjamina
Family: Moraceae
Origin: South and Southeast Asia & North and southern Australia

General Facts:

• This is the official tree of Bangkok, Thailand.
• This fig, native to the region, can grow into large tree with wide-spreading, conical crown of drooping, slender braches.
• The small leaves are simple, elliptical and with a sharp tip.
• The small, round figs are orange-red when ripe, turning dark with time. The small fruit are a favorite food of some birds.

Interesting Facts:
To connect visitors to figs, guides who understand Chinese can ask the visitors if they know the popular oldie "榕树下"(pronounced as Rong Shu Xia), which means "Under the Banyan Tree". Or has anyone eaten "无花果"(pronounced as Wu Hua Guo), which is also a fig. Do explain to the visitors that "无花果" actually do flower, just that the flowers are concealed within the fig. And what they are eating is not really the fruit, but a natural container for the flowers and seeds!