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Useful Tropical Plants

Ficus politoria

Lam.

Moraceae

+ Synonyms

Ficus claoxyloides Baker

Ficus longipes (Liebm.) Miq.

Ficus longipes Baker

Ficus soroceoides Baker

Ficus xiphocuspis Baker

Common Name:

Ficus politoria
Fruits and leaves
Photograph by: Patrice Antilahimena
Creative Commons License
Ficus politoria Ficus politoria Ficus politoria Ficus politoria Ficus politoria

General Information

Ficus politoria is a shrub or tree that usually grows up to 8 metres tall, exceptionally to 15 metres. The bole can be up to 15cm in diameter[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
780
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 96
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
2009
ISBN
0026-6493
Description
A botanical magazine with various articles on plant nomenclature etc., including a treatment of the Gnidia species of Madagascar.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

570
Title
Adansonia Vol. 8.
Publication
Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Tome 8
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Paris.
Year
1986
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst others, a treatment of the genus Ficus (Figs) in Madagascar and Mauritius. It can be downloadd from the Internet.

Range

Africa - Madagascar.

Habitat

Forests and disturbed vegetation, often along the sides of streams, at elevations from sea level to 1,700 metres, occasionally to 2,000 metres[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
570
Title
Adansonia Vol. 8.
Publication
Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Tome 8
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Paris.
Year
1986
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst others, a treatment of the genus Ficus (Figs) in Madagascar and Mauritius. It can be downloadd from the Internet.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitTree
Height6.00 m
PollinatorsWasps
Self-fertileNo
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



Fig trees have a unique form of fertilization, each species relying on a single, highly specialized species of wasp that is itself totaly dependant upon that fig species in order to breed. The trees produce three types of flower; male, a long-styled female and a short-styled female flower, often called the gall flower. All three types of flower are contained within the structure we usually think of as the fruit.
The female fig wasp enters a fig and lays its eggs on the short styled female flowers while pollinating the long styled female flowers. Wingless male fig wasps emerge first, inseminate the emerging females and then bore exit tunnels out of the fig for the winged females. Females emerge, collect pollen from the male flowers and fly off in search of figs whose female flowers are receptive. In order to support a population of its pollinator, individuals of a Ficus spp. must flower asynchronously. A population must exceed a critical minimum size to ensure that at any time of the year at least some plants have overlap of emmission and reception of fig wasps. Without this temporal overlap the short-lived pollinator wasps will go locally extinct[
413
Title
Global Invasive Species Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Edible Uses

Reports on the edibility of the fruit are contrasting[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

In traditional medicine in Madagascar a decoction of the young leaf or bud is taken for the treatment of stomach-ache. An infusion of the leaf is given as a tonic to sick people[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The abrasive leaf surface is used to scarify the skin to promote penetration of medicines[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

The leaf is used as sandpaper to polish wood and metals[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The pounded bark was formerly used for making loincloth[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The wood is used in the construction of house frames[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ficus+politoria>

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