Ficus pumila

Ficus pumila grows wild across the forests of southern China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, where it scrambles up tree trunks and cliff faces using adhesive aerial roots that emerge along its stems. In its juvenile form — the one almost always seen in terrariums — the leaves are small, heart-shaped, and held in two flat ranks against the surface the vine is climbing. Mature stems lose the aerial roots, grow thicker, and put out much larger leathery leaves, but this only happens once the plant has been clambering free for years. It carpets soil, wood, and glass alike, taking off quickly in warm, humid air, and needs regular trimming to stay in scale.