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Common Fig

Ficus carica

Found in forest edges and thickets; Coastal dunes and beaches. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
10–30 feet
Spread
10–30 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • American Plum
    Prunus americana

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

    Different: flower color

  • Smooth Blackhaw
    Viburnum prunifolium

    Sun: Partial sun, Full sun. Soil: Dry to average. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: flower color

  • Littlehip Hawthorn
    Crataegus spathulata

    Sun: Deep shade, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

    Different: flower color

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to August
Fruiting season
July to October

Recorded in 4 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Ficus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Glyphodes pyloalisBeautiful Glyphodes, Mulberry Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Show all 14
  • Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ficus

  • Aphelocoma californicaCalifornia Scrub-Jay
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Icterus bullockiiBullock's Oriole
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Patagioenas leucocephalaWhite-crowned Pigeon
  • Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 12
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Moraceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Edible Fig; Fig; Garden Fig

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNA
Global rankGNR
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources