Ficus Panda

Meet the Ficus Panda, the ficus Dubai shops sell for its leaves rather than its roots. It is the same species as the Ficus Ginseng, Ficus microcarpa, but the Panda is bought for a compact, bushy crown of small, rounded, glossy leaves. Growers describe the foliage as rounded, thick and glossy, and Acacia Garden Center describes the plant as a clean single trunk under a spreading canopy. That is why it turns up as a table-size tree in a pot, and as a clipped ball, cone or cage on Dubai patios.

'Panda' is a trade name, not a settled botanical one. The RHS database holds Ficus 'Panda' with the name status 'unresolved' and no description, and NC State does not list it among the Ficus microcarpa cultivars. Dubai tags often read Ficus retusa. NC State says that name is commonly misapplied to bonsai figs, and Acacia's Dubai care guide calls the Panda a trained form of Ficus microcarpa, so this page treats it that way.

In a flat it behaves like its relatives. It wants bright, indirect light, an even temperature, one settled spot, and no cold draught from the vent. Where it differs from most houseplant figs is that Dubai shops also sell it as an outdoor patio plant. Do not take that at face value: Acacia warns that UAE summer sun at 45°C and above burns the foliage in days, so a Panda that spent the winter on a balcony needs to be indoors again before the heat peaks.

Ficus Panda is a compact form of Ficus microcarpa, the Chinese banyan, an evergreen fig. Outdoors in warm climates the species grows into a large tree with aerial roots: the RHS gives 12 m or more in warm climates and up to 4 m in a container. A Panda stays small because it is young, clipped and potted. Dubai shops sell it as a 30 to 60 cm potted plant, as a 40 to 50 cm plant for a tabletop, and as clipped standards of 1 to 2.5 m in single-head, two- and three-head, cone, ball and cage shapes.

How it differs from the ginseng ficus: same species, different selling point. NC State says 'Ginseng' is used extensively in bonsai for its bulbous, thick roots, and the RHS describes a swollen trunk base. A Panda is bought for its leaves and the shape of its crown, and many are trained as standards or topiary rather than for a swollen base. The line is not sharp. NC State notes that a ginseng is sometimes grafted with branches of a smaller-leaved cultivar, so a small-leaved ginseng can look like a Panda, and some Panda bonsai have thick trunks. Check the label. The Weeping fig is a different species, sold as a larger floor-standing plant.

Give it bright, indirect light. The RHS says ornamental figs take a few hours of morning or evening sun, especially in winter, and Acacia suggests a metre or two back from a south- or east-facing window. Water regularly in spring and summer and let the compost dry slightly between waterings, then keep it just moist in winter (RHS). Leaf drop is the usual complaint. The RHS says overwatering is the most common cause, followed by cold, low light, too much fertiliser and draughts, and moving the plant also triggers it. UF/IFAS advises leaving an indoor ficus alone for about four weeks after it is placed, with no moving, pruning, repotting or feeding. Wear gloves when pruning, because the sticky white sap irritates skin. For other figs, see Rubber plant.