Common Name:

General Information

Ficus drupacea is a tree with a large, spreading canopy; in the cooler parts of its range it grows 10 - 15 metres tall[, ], but in the more humid forests it can grow up to 40 metres tall. 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 sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - S. China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam,. Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Solomon Isles

Habitat

Montane forests, along streams; at elevations from 100 - 1,500 metres[]. Evergreen and deciduous forests[]. Well developed lowland rain forest at elevations from sea level to 450 metres in Australia[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Pollinators	Wasps
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows wild in a variety of soils[].
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[]. Rather tasteless[]. The ochre-yellow or red, ovoid to cylindrical fruit can be 20 - 30mm long and 15 - 20mm wide[].

Medicinal

The roots are an effective vulnerary when powdered and applied to wounds[, ].

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the bark[]. A weak rope can be made from it[].

Propagation

Seed -

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