Do Ficus Leaves Close at Night?

Ficus Leaf

• The ficus leaf is deciduous, turning colors and eventually falling off the tree during the colder months. It is large, with the blade reaching up to 10 inches long. The fig leaf is palmate, having fingerlike appendages that may be deep or shallow, usually with tooth-shaped lobes along its perimeter. Fine fuzz covers the underside, and the surface has a layer of rough hair.

Closing at Night

• In a 2003 study conducted by Keio University's Department of Chemistry, scientists studied the molecular process of nyctinasty, or leaf movement, of legume plants both day and night. As a member of the legume family, fig leaves have a circadian rhythm of about 24 hours. During nighttime hours, leaves close up slightly, and they open broadly when in direct sunlight.

Seasonal Changes

• Ficus leaves go through several other changes during the growing and dormant season. During the fall months, leaves begin to roll inward, shrivel and change color before they eventually fall off the tree. Leaf closing may seem to increase right before this time because leaves also are wilting as the tree prepares for dormancy. An over-watered ficus also may have wilting, soggy leaves whereas a ficus with adequate water has large, broad foliage.

Other Effects on Leaves

• Other factors can cause ficus leaves to wilt, close or fall off. In a study published in "Plant Biology" in 2005, Dr. Al-Jamali of the Jordan University of Science and Technology reported that grapevines adjacent to ficus plants were causing neighboring fig leaves to curl and close up so that the grape leaves received more sunlight and, hence, energy. Diseases such as fig rust may begin with yellow spotting and worsen until leaves curl and fall off the tree.