Sometimes called a
chinese fig or
willow-
leaf fig,
ficus nerifolia is a sub-
tropical tree that's popular for use in
bonsai. Characterized by its long, narrow leaves (thus willow-leaf), it can handle medium to bright
sunlight, but requires a gradual
transition between levels to avoid burning or leaf drop.
Like most members of the ficus family, nerifolia will drop leaves if you so much as look at it
sideways, and some will
defoliate completely on a regular basis. This tendency towards frequent
shedding makes it a less than ideal bonsai for
beginners, as they tend to panic and think they've killed the tree. If a change has been made to its environment, expect a nerifolia to lose leaves, possibly all of them, as an
adjustment reaction. Rest assured, they'll come back.
Unless you live in the
tropics, this is definitely an
indoor plant. You'll want to keep the temperature above 50F, and above 60F if possible. They can endure less than that for
brief periods, but too long will kill them.
The
sap is very
thin and
milky, and will start to leak the instant you
prune a limb. This isn't much of a problem for small limbs, but for anything larger than a couple millimeters in diameter you're going to want to
seal it to prevent heavy
bleeding.
The most common styles for nerifolia bonsai are
upright and
windswept. Ficuses in generally tend towards
exposed roots, so you'll see a lot of that and root-over-rock as well.