A versatile and tough group of plants often grown indoors, ficus comes in all sorts of forms, ranging from creeping vine to the giant tree. Its glossy leaves grow in a variety of colours and patterns. And even though this cousin of the edible fig is a tropical plant, it survives in a wide variety of conditions. The 850 species span a wide range of looks. Leaves grow dark burgundy on the rubber plant, diamond-shape on the weeping fig, as small as the pinky nail on some creeping varieties, and as large as a football on others. Needs vary among the varieties, but generally, ficus prefers well-drained fertile soil that is kept consistently moist. Although it can tolerate an occasional missed watering, allowing them to dry out regularly stresses the plant.