I found my favorite chameleon plant!

[radstusky]

I've always thought this ficus was the best for chameleons, so when I saw them at Home Depot I grabbed one right away. It'll go in Leo's next cage which I plan to get in the next month or two. The tree is Ficus bennendijkii I believe and is similar to the benjamina except it has these long leaves which I like because they act like little water troughs to help make sure he gets enough water. I found this link about the plant care: http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/feature_House_plant.htm.

If you look closely in the first pic, Leo is hiding out in there! The second pic shows him drinking.

Does anyone else have one of these for their chams?

 

[eisentrauti]

In my opinion Ficus "ali" or what ever they are called are far away to be a ideal chameleon plant. Normal Ficus benjamini or Schefflera store the water much longer then this plant does. The water flows down very quick. The best plants for providing chams longer with water a Asparagus densiflora or Asparagus falcatus

 

[draetish]

I like it! the only draw back which is not that big of a deal is:

Water: Allow the soil to dry out between waterings and then water thoroughly and completely. This may mean watering once and then again an hour later as the dry soil begins to absorb water. Do not allow the plant to sit in water. Until you become familiar with your plants water requirements... check for water twice a week. Water with tepid water... cold water may cause leaf loss. "Alii" does not require as much water as other Ficus - over watering will cause leaf drop and leaf spotting.

Thanks for sharing, now I know what to get for my melleri haven

 

[james L]

Here in S.Florida, that species of ficus does well as a landscape plant. It holds up well in droughts. Leaves can get messy when they fall but all ficus are messy to me. Ive never used it as a reptile plant but it seems like a good plant to me.

 

[eisentrauti]

I don't know if Asparagus spec. are available in the USA (here it's difficult to get them) but they are really the best to provide chams with water, especially small species under or round 20 cm TL

 

[radstusky]

I like it! the only draw back which is not that big of a deal is:

Water: Allow the soil to dry out between waterings and then water thoroughly and completely. This may mean watering once and then again an hour later as the dry soil begins to absorb water. Do not allow the plant to sit in water. Until you become familiar with your plants water requirements... check for water twice a week. Water with tepid water... cold water may cause leaf loss. "Alii" does not require as much water as other Ficus - over watering will cause leaf drop and leaf spotting.

Thanks for sharing, now I know what to get for my melleri haven

Yes I read that as well. I haven't yet figured out how I'm going to set up my new cage, whether to make a big planter at the bottom or have potted plants. If over-watering does become an issue, I can always divert the dripped water to a separate container and then water the plants as needed. My cham sure does seem happy when he's on this plant! Of course it's outside as well, so maybe he is just liking it outside. The interior part is nice and shaded and protected, so I think he feels safe in there.

 

[radstusky]

I don't know if Asparagus spec. are available in the USA (here it's difficult to get them) but they are really the best to provide chams with water, especially small species under or round 20 cm TL

I looked at some pics of those Asparagus sp. and I thought they did look a little flimsy for a panther. As you say though, they'd be great for smaller chams I bet. In a big cage, which I'll have to get soon, it's good to have a variety of plants. I'll keep my eyes open for one of those and thanks. I do think that for the alii plant, some of the leaves at the top are more or less horizontal, so the water stays puddled there. In fact when I put this in my enclosure, maybe I'll try fixing a leaf horizontally and dripping directly in it to serve as a "drinking trough". I think that might actually work!

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Thats my favorite larger chameleon tree. Takes the most abuse from my melleri

 

[hallenhe]

I have a Ficus just like yours, and it's held up well so far - haven't really had trouble with the water as, while it is receiving a drip of water pretty much all day, what actually makes it down to the pot hasn't been nearly enough to saturate it or have the plant in standing water. (When mine is on active chameleon duty, the only water it gets is from hand misting and the drip system - I've started rotating my plants in and out of chameleon habitat, and when they're not "on duty", I return to regular watering every five days or so.)

 

[Sir Spiral Tail]

I have one of those as well, tip top!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I used to have one of those in my male jacksons cage yrs ago. They are great trees. Mine was about 5ft tall. It really takes abuse well. I never had a prob with overwatering. But I didnt run a dripper into that plant.

 

[hondataeg6]

Thats my favorite larger chameleon tree. Takes the most abuse from my melleri

Ryan, were did you buy yours? I want one

 

[glaceauz]

In my opinion Ficus "ali" or what ever they are called are far away to be a ideal chameleon plant. Normal Ficus benjamini or Schefflera store the water much longer then this plant does. The water flows down very quick. The best plants for providing chams longer with water a Asparagus densiflora or Asparagus falcatus

i agree with the foxtails, ive been looking into taking some out of my yard and potting it for my cage, plus they look so cool!

 

[DGray]

Ficus 'alii'

I've always thought this ficus was the best for chameleons, ...

The tree is Ficus bennendijkii I believe and is similar to the benjamina except it has these long leaves ...

Does anyone else have one of these for their chams?

_Ficus bennendijkii_ is one of the names associated with a number of types of figs grown as ornamental and house plants. I'm not really very sure of the botany, but in the U.S. this is sold as F. allii. They are often available as a single trunked tree, or with braided trunks.

I sell these all the time; I find they need high light, and a bit of drying between waterings when grown in the house. They do not like cold much, and while I put one through a San Francisco winter, it did not enjoy it.

Very similar, but with longer and broader leaves is _F. 'Amstel King'_. It's leaves are a little softer and might not take chameleon traffic as well. It does have a nice rosy color on the new foliage.

In my opinion Ficus "ali" or what ever they are called are far away to be a ideal chameleon plant. Normal Ficus benjamini or Schefflera store the water much longer then this plant does. The water flows down very quick. The best plants for providing chams longer with water a Asparagus densiflora or Asparagus falcatus

Interesting observation. We do grow the _Asparagus densiflorus_ everywhere here as a houseplant, and as a landscape plant in the warmer areas. _A. falcatus_ is very scarce and I've only seen it a few times in So. Cal. and Florida.

 

[radstusky]

Thanks for sharing, now I know what to get for my melleri haven

I don't have a mellers just yet (I hope to one day!), but as you can see by this pic, Drake our Jackson sure does look good in there! I should go buy another one I think, but there were only two left. Plus they cost $25!