Brisbane tree guide

White fig (Ficus virens)

Ficus virens · also called Strangler fig, Banyan fig

Ficus virens, the white fig, is a big native fig of Queensland rainforests, creek banks and beach scrubs, and it grows naturally around Brisbane. Unusually for a fig, it drops all its leaves for about a week in spring, then flushes pink-tinged new growth. With a spreading crown, aerial roots and water-seeking roots, it is a tree for parks and acreage rather than suburban blocks.

Native to South East Queensland
20 to 30 m tall

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White fig leaves in Brisbane's City Botanic Gardens — Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White fig at a glance

Height: 20 to 30 m
Growth: Moderate
Leaves: Deciduous
Flowers: Small and easy to miss
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: Northern Australia and Queensland south to north-eastern NSW, plus Asia and the south-west Pacific
Family: Moraceae

How to identify a white fig

White fig is a large, spreading tree with a buttressed grey trunk and aerial roots hanging from its branches. It often starts life as a strangler, its seed sprouting on another tree. The leaves are thinner than most local figs and feel dry and papery; they are 8 to 19 cm long on long stalks, with pale veins that show on both sides. For about a week in spring the tree stands bare, then new leaves arrive with pink or bronze tones. Small paired figs about 1 cm across sit among the leaves, white to pinkish brown with reddish spots.

Growing a white fig in Brisbane

White fig is a Brisbane local: botanists collected it on the Brisbane River as early as 1829. It grows in rainforest, beach scrub and along creeks, and copes with a range of soils and long dry spells, though it does best in moist, rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Arborists at Treelogic estimate that a mature tree with a trunk a metre across needs more than 50 cubic metres of soil for its roots. That makes it a park or acreage tree, not one for a house block.

What to watch out for

Roots are the main concern. Hunter Water gives fig trees an extreme damage rating for sewer pipes, and Urban Utilities advises against planting figs near sewers because their roots go looking for water. White figs also grow very large, with buttresses and aerial roots, and they often start life as stranglers on other trees. Keep one well away from houses, pipes, pools and paving.

Size. It can pass 20 metres with a crown wider than it is tall, plus buttresses and hanging aerial roots, so it only suits large parks and acreage.

Pruning and care

White fig needs little routine care. Do any pruning in late winter or early spring, and keep it to removing dead, damaged or low branches rather than cutting the crown back hard. Water young trees until they are established. Get an arborist's advice before cutting large roots or digging trenches near the trunk. Reducing a big crown or removing heavy limbs is a job for a qualified arborist with the right gear.

White fig: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is Ficus virens native to Brisbane?

Yes. Ficus virens, the white fig, grows naturally from northern Australia through South East Queensland and into north-eastern NSW, and botanists collected it on the Brisbane River in 1829.

Are white 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.

Does the white fig lose its leaves?

Yes, briefly. It is usually bare for about a week at some point between September and November, then quickly grows new leaves with pink or bronze tones.

How big does a white fig grow?

A white fig commonly grows past 20 metres and up to about 30 metres, with a broad crown that is often wider than the tree is tall.

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Sources and credits

Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 36 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.