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Ficus abutilifolia is a small to medium-sized, deciduous to semi-deciduous tree up to 15 m high, though it seldom exceeds 5 m. The bark is whitish to yellowish white and smooth, powdery or somewhat flaking, and it is this conspicuous bark that is immediately apparent. The trunk is usually twisted or contorted, the branchlets stout and glabrous (lacking hairs) and marked with leaf and stipular scars. The large-leaved rock fig is generally encountered on rocky hillsides, rocky outcrops and along streams. The species is always found on or near rock outcrops , and while it is often found on granite, it grows also on sandstones, basalts and ironstone. The altitudinal range is from sea level to around 1 000 m and although able to tolerate light frost, it enjoys lower altitudes and hotter conditions. It is restricted to the African continent and here it has a widespread distribution, occurring in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and the North-West up into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia, Somalia and west to Guinea.
USDA Zone - 10
Season to Sow - Spring
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