i thought croutons were a piece of stale bread in a salad.. go figure... hit the link .... from my short review.. i don't see propagation by leaf ... but whats the harm in trying.. slice it clean.. stick it in some media in a pot.. cover with a plastic bag ... it either rots or grows... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

They do grow all year long, but slow down substantially in the winter due to low light, short days, and usually cooler temperatures. Once past the vernal equinox, their growth rate picks up and peaks in Jun, Jul, Aug. Any serious work, like heavy pruning and repotting/root-pruning would best be done in June. Father's Day or the summer solstice are easy to remember and serve as excellent target dates for operations that cause anything other than minor stress. If you're interested in knowing more about the plant you can look over this thread about Ficus benjamina (weeping fig). The cultural preferences of Ficus b are virtually the same as Ficus lyrata/ FLF. Good luck! Al

Nobody is over reacting, it was just a simple question about asking for permission... Consider this: would you like any passer-by taking off pieces of your plants, whether in pots, ground or wall, without asking? Most likely not. If the plant is not-so-common or really different looking (which is often only because of it growing conditions), many would like to take a piece and soon the original plant could be gone. Also, unfortunately, some ppl hastily take a piece off and just rip it without concern for original plant that could get damaged. These are just couple of very simple reasons why many care...And there could be rare plants that are protected (not saying these were, if yes there is often a sign). I do understand why you took it, and especially one from the steps being walk on. I am sure many of us done it or at least were tempted to do. Even in greenhouses or public gardens - where there are usually many plants - one can get a cutting for asking. Even in the stores - if there are pieces dropped on the floor - why not to take them & save them? - but asking permission will get one further, and if, by a chance, seen by an employee carrying piece of a plant, you would not be considered stealing - which is what often happens.

I have a a young red mulberry here but it is raining so taking pix of the leaves won't help. I bought it from a reputable nursery so I'm pretty confident in its id. But the problem is that the crosses like "Illinois Everbearing" (which I also have here as I mature tree) are virtually impossible to tell the underside of the leaves apart from the native Morus rubra. I've tried knowing which is which. The Illinois Everbearing is a cross between M. alba and M. rubra and the birds plant young volunteers every where. The volunteers are more variable but usually equally hard to compare to M. rubra. I would guess yours to be a cross of some sort as they are far more common finds.