Biola Cantik | Fiddle-Leaf Fig | Ficus Lyrata

Their unusual and beautiful sculptural look is reminiscent of a fiddle or a violin, that is why they got their name as Fiddle Leaf Fig. Often they are used as a dramatic statement piece in large open spaces. Place them anywhere in the room and they will bring instant liveliness to the room.

In the wilderness of Africa, they are found to be thrivingly growing in the lowland tropics of the rainforest. They live up to their name as an attention seeker too – and a dreadful one at that. In the rainforest, instead of growing on their own, they need a host tree to thrive. Once they land on the host, with their epiphyte features, not only do they compete for sunlight in the rainforest, their roots slowly tangle around the trunk of the host. Tragically, over time the host tree gets strangled by the aerial roots of the fiddle-leaf fig. It was their way to grow in a competitive environment like the rainforest.

Of course they can still grow gracefully without killing a host tree in a completely different environment. That is why they’re notorious for being called an ‘emotional’ plant, they require constant care and attention.

Pro Tip! Frequent moving around will cause Fiddle-Leaf Fig to be stressed and lose their leaves, try to assign one spot when placing them in your home, make sure to place them at the brightest area of your room. Don’t be alarmed with a few leaves dropping as they adjust to your new home!

Things you need to know

Botanical name

Ficus Lyrata

Origin

Western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone

Nickname

Biola Cantik

Ketapang Biola

Fiddle-Leaf Fig