The Latin specific epithet pumila means "dwarf",[5] and refers to the very small leaves of the plant.

The aerial roots secrete a translucent latex that hardens on drying, allowing the sticks to adhere to their support.

[citation needed] As the common name, "creeping fig" indicates, the plant has a creeping/vining habit and is often used in gardens and landscapes where it covers the ground and climbs up trees and walls.

[8] The plant requires the fig wasp Blastophaga pumilae for pollination, and is fed upon by larvae of the butterfly Marpesia petreus.

Like other plant species in the family Moraceae, contact with the milky sap of Ficus pumila can cause phytophotodermatitis,[9] a potentially serious skin inflammation.