Common Name:

General Information

Ficus virens is a deciduous tree with a spreading crown; it usually grows up to 15 metres tall but occasionally to 30 metres[, ]. The bole is up to 70cm in diameter[]. The plant often begins life as an epiphyte, growing in the branch of another tree; as it grows older it sends down aerial roots which, when they reach the ground quickly form roots and become much thicker and more vigorous. They supply nutrients to the fig, allowing it to grow faster than the host tree. The aerial roots gradually encircle the host tree, preventing its main trunk from expanding, whilst at the same time the foliage smothers the foliage of the host. Eventually the host dies, leaving the fig to carry on growing without competition[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food and source of wood and latex. It is sometimes cultivated, especially in S India and Sri Lanka as shade tree in coffee plantations, and is also grown as an ornamental and shade tree along avenues[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, Indian subcontinent, through tropical Asia to New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Islands.

Habitat

Streamsides at elevations from 300 - 2,700 metres[]. Monsoon forests and rainforests in northern Australia[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	12.00 m
Pollinators	Wasps
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The branches have few to many aerial roots[].
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[].

Edible Uses

Young shoots and young leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. An acid flavour[]. They are sometimes used, in the preparation of curries[, ].

Fruit - raw or mixed with fresh raw vegetables[]. The globose fruits are 12 - 15mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the bark is used as an injection in the treatment of leucorrhoea[240.
Applied externally, a bark decoction is used as a wash on ulcers and as a gargle in salivation[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Grown as a shade tree in coffee plantations[].

Other Uses

The latex is used for caulking boats and waterproofing[].

The light coloured wood is soft and porous[]. The wood, including the aerial roots, is used locally in light construction, tool making etc[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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