Common Name: Clown Fig

General Information

Clown fig is a fast-growing tree that can reach 20 metres or more and can be either deciduous or evergreen according to its cultivation[]. Much of its foliage is spotted and splashed with variegation, and varieties have been selected that accentuate this tendency[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit[], and is also often grown as an ornamental - especially its variegated form[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Pacific - Vanuatu.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wasps
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a position with at least a few hours a day of bright light. Succeeds in most well-drained soils[].
This species does not have aggressive roots and so makes a good garden subject[].
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

Fruit - raw[, ]. The spherical fruit is about 25mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The rough-textured leaves can be used in place of sandpaper, and as scourers for cleaning pot and pans[, ].

The leaves are large enough to be used as plates for serving food, and are also used to wrap food for cooking[, ].

The bark is fibrous. We have no specific information for this species, but the fibre is likely to be used for making cordage, possibly cloth and maybe also to make tapa bark cloth[].

The fibrous branches can be used to clean the teeth[].

The wood of plants in this genus is usually of low quality, light in weight, soft and not very durable. It is sometimes used for purposes such as light construction, digging sticks, yam stakes, etc.
The wood is also used for fuel and sometimes for making fire by friction[].

Propagation

Seed - germinates best at a temperature around 20°c[].
Air layering[].
Tip cuttings around 4 - 12cm long, taken from lateral branches[].

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