Brisbane tree guide

Hill's fig

Ficus microcarpa · also called Hill's weeping fig, Hills fig

Hill's fig is an evergreen fig with small glossy leaves, a neat rounded crown and slightly weeping upper branches, widely planted as a roadside and park tree from New South Wales north. Brisbane City Council lists it for wide arterial road medians and roundabouts. It is a big tree with a very large crown, and like other figs its roots seek out water, so it needs plenty of space away from houses and pipes.

Australian native
10 to 20 m tall

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Hill's fig, from Wikimedia Commons — Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hill's fig at a glance

Height: 10 to 20 m
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: Small and easy to miss
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: North and central Queensland, plus South East Asia, New Guinea and the south-west Pacific
Power lines: Not on the council's list for under power lines
Family: Moraceae

How to identify a Hill's fig

Hill's fig forms a rounded, evergreen crown, with the upper branches drooping slightly. Its leaves are small for a fig, up to about 11 cm long, elliptic to oval with a blunt tip, glossy, and marked by three strong veins at the base; at a glance they can look like lilly pilly leaves. Pairs of small round figs about 1 cm wide sit directly on the twigs, turning yellowish, then pink, purple and black. Trees can develop buttresses and prop roots, and sometimes several trunks. The similar small-leaved fig has longer bud covers at the shoot tips, 2 to 3 cm long, compared with up to 1.5 cm on Hill's fig.

Growing a Hill's fig in Brisbane

Hill's fig comes from tropical Queensland and is widely grown as a roadside tree from New South Wales north. Brisbane City Council's street tree list includes it only for arterial road medians and roundabouts with verges wider than 5 metres, gives it a height of 10 to 20 metres with a very large crown, and keeps it away from power lines. In a home garden it needs a large block and a site well clear of the house, driveway, sewer and stormwater pipes.

What to watch out for

Roots are the big concern. Hunter Water gives fig trees an extreme damage rating for sewer pipes, Urban Utilities advises against planting figs near sewers because their roots hunt for water, and Smart Water Mark says this fig should not go near drains. Allow for a very large crown too: Brisbane City Council only lists it where verges are wider than 5 metres, and not under power lines.

Size. Council rates its crown as very large and only uses it where verges are wider than 5 metres.

Pruning and care

Hill's fig copes well with clipping: it has long been grown as a clipped street tree and even as a tub plant. Once established it needs little extra water. Keep pruning regular rather than drastic, and remove dead or crossing branches as needed. Reducing a big crown or removing large limbs is a job for a qualified arborist with the right gear. Get an arborist's advice before cutting large roots or digging trenches near the trunk.

Hill's fig: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Are Hill's fig roots invasive?

They can be. Hunter Water rates fig trees as an extreme risk to sewer pipes, and Urban Utilities advises against planting figs near sewers because their roots seek out water.

How big does a Hills fig grow in Brisbane?

Brisbane City Council's street tree list gives 10 to 20 metres, with a very large crown. Council only uses it on arterial road medians and roundabouts with verges wider than 5 metres.

Is Hill's fig native to Brisbane?

No. It is an Australian native, but it grows naturally in north and central Queensland and in South East Asia and the Pacific, rather than in the Brisbane region.

What is the botanical name of Hill's fig?

It has long been sold as Ficus hillii or Ficus microcarpa var. hillii. The Australian Plant Census now includes it in Ficus microcarpa.

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Sources and credits

Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 37 of the plant profile booklet made for Colourful Tree Lopping in 2013. We checked every fact against current sources and rewrote it for the guide.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.