Common Name:

General Information

Ficus cotinifolia is a tree with a broad, spreading crown comprised of a few large branches; it can grow 15 metres tall. The bole often branches from low down, it can be 100cm in diameter[, ]. The tree often produces aerial roots from the crown, which develop into new trunks and support the wide-spreading canopy[]. The roots, as in other species, are often exposed above the ground[].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre and latex.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. America - Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala to northern Mexico.

Habitat

Seasonally very dry deciduous and evergreen formations, at elevations up to 900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	12.00 m
Pollinators	Wasps
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants flower throughout the year[].
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 or dried for later use[, ]. A sweetish flavour[].

Medicinal

The latex, mixed with the powdered bark, is applied to wounds and bruises[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

This species is one of the first trees to appear on dirt-covered stone ruins in Yucatan, and its spreading roots, after taking hold in the ground, soon cover the entire mounds[]. This should make the plant an excellent pioneer species for restoring woodland in open areas[].

Other Uses

The latex contains rubber[]. It is used as an adulterant of chicle[, ].

The fibrous bark can be used as a paper[].

The wood is white throughout[].

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: Type the digit seven into the box