Hi all, I have this little tree seedling that my mother gave me last year. She says it is a ficus of some sort, but it doesn't look like the ficus trees I've seen, with their smooth glossy leaves. This tree has matte, "papery" leaves with jagged edges. What I do know about this plant: It doesn't like heat, doesn't like sun, and does not grow!! When I received it, the height was about 4" and it had 4 leaves; now, a whole year later, it is still only about 5-6" and has gained just a few leaves. Please help me ID this plant! Thank you!
Hmm. Does look similar, but I don't think that's it. ROS usually grows like a weed around here, and this thing just doesn't do anything.
Definitely not fig or ficus, but I'd say that it is a hibiscus of some sort. Maybe a baby H. rosa-sinensis - they can be pretty fussy.
OK, I mentioned it to my mom today, and it turns out I misunderstood her. She did not say it was a ficus. She says it is something called a Love Tree. She started a few of them from seed (mine is the only one that has survived!). Anyone heard of this?
Doesn't look like any Circis I've seen. With that kind of distinctive leaf shape, it's got to be obvious to someone somewhere... Love Tree is more of a program than a particular species, and it varies from country to country whether it's Blue Spruce or Katsura... Prunus Avium just happenes to be one, by the way. ;-) Wild Cherry.
See, that's what initially had me thinking it was a tropical hibiscus, which can be finicky little beggars when they're tiny.
I agree that the leaves do look a lot like some hibiscus leaves, but I just can't get any farther with it. I've never grown a hibiscus, though I know that there are a couple varieties that are native to my area. It bugs me that this thing just will not grow, that's why I need to find out exactly what it is!
