Mystery house plant

[foolishjules]

Hello!
I need help with identification of this house plant. I received it in a sympathy gift basket for my husband's grandmother. It started very small, but within a couple years grew to be over 4 feet tall. Now it is over six feet in height. It has sticky star shaped pink flowers a couple of times a year. It has very woody stems and I am concerned that it is a tree that won't survive being planted outside in my climate (St. Louis, MO). I am worried about my little guy. It seems to only have sparse leaves on the ends of tall branches, and the leaves only grow on one side of the plant. I have tried to rotate it to grow leaves on all sides, but it does not like to be turned for some reason. Anyway, any help in identifying it would be tremendous! Also, any care tips would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jules

[Lindsaylew82]

That sure looks citrusy to me! I'm not even 50% sure about that though.

When you say star shaped, is that 5 point star?

What does the middle of the flower look like? Does it have a color in the middle?

Has it ever fruited?

Does is smell like anything?

[foolishjules]

It looks like it is probably a six pointed star, but it is hard to tell. They are very tiny. The inside has what I call a little tongue with some pollen on the end. You can see from the photo the beads of sap of some kind. I never noticed any kind of fragrance. I did forget to mention, thank you for reminding me, that it gets some large bluish looking berries where the flowers are. I don't know how I forgot to mention that, as it seems to be a pretty big clue. I always toss them because I have kids and pets around that I am afraid might put them in their mouths, I always presumed they were inedible. The berries can get up to around a centimeter or so in diameter. Thanks!

[purpleinopp]

Judging from the fact that it came in a mixed sympathy basket, it must be a fairly common house plant. I'd compare it to Ficus benjamina, though can't see the top of a leaf clearly in these pics. The buds match images I found.

Whatever it is, I don't think there's a chance of it surviving outside where you are, they don't put hardy landscape plants in sympathy baskets, that I've ever seen or heard of. If it is a ficus, just keep doing whatever you've been doing because that's one extremely happy plant. Trim if necessary to maintain in-house size.

Edited to add: If it is a Ficus, it's worth avoiding getting the sap from inside the plant on your skin, and wash well if you do, as soon as possible. You absolutely do not want to accidentally realize you're one of the unfortunate ones sensitive to the latex sap (which, if sensitive, causes a rash like poison ivy.)

[rainbowgardener]

It would help if you could show us a picture of the whole tree also, not just the close ups. I have a ficus tree that is about 6 feet tall, but it has never bloomed.

[purpleinopp]

I've never seen anyone post pics of F. benjamina blooming either, rainbow, but couldn't think of anything else that might be in a mixed basket to search for pics of flower buds, with leaves/growth pattern anything like the pictured plant. Plain green leaf house plants aren't my normal milieu though...

[catgrass]

Sweet Olive? A guess.

[foolishjules]

Here is a pic of the whole plant. Thanks everyone for your responses. Based on Lindsey's first reply I went and looked up some pics and the closest thing I found was Vaccinium (?). It does get a little red tinge on the new leaves. And Lindsey, I was wrong, I think the flowers are 4 pointed, which is misleading when you look from the side.

[Lindsaylew82]

Interesting. Vaccinium is blueberry, huckleberry, etc. I've been looking at a lot of vaccinium pictures, but the flowers just don't match your pictures! I'm not convinced.

I see a (I think) 6 leaved grouping that is reminiscent of Schefflera.

The blooms don't match that one, either. Is there another plant behind the one in question?

This is a toughie!!!

[Lindsaylew82]

I think it's Ardesia!

Pictures coming!

[Lindsaylew82]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardisia

[foolishjules]

Lindsay, I think you may have nailed it. I will confirm with you once the berries form. It looks very similar to the Ardisia Elliptica. Yes, that is another plant growing behind it. It was labeled a money tree (false advertising I assure you) at, of all places, the Walgreens where it was languishing. I receive stray plants from people all the time, many times they are near death. That was one of them. I am a novice when it comes to plants, but I often get lucky and figure out through trial and error how to save them. They are patient with me, so I try to help them the best I can. Most of all though, it helps to have the expertise of people like all of you to help me. Many thanks, Jules

[purpleinopp]

Good work, good eye, Lindsay!

[Lindsaylew82]

Purple, your f. Benjamina suggestion is what helped me find it!

[purpleinopp]

High-5!!