Common Name: African Rock Fig

General Information

African rock fig is a small to medium-sized tree, usually growing 5 - 10 metres tall, though it may become a large tree reaching 24 metres and 50cm in diameter[]. The branches are wide-spreading, more or less horizontal, forming a dense canopy and often supported by stilt roots[, ].
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for its edible fruits, which are a popular local food. The plant also has medicinal uses and supplies various commodities.It is sometimes cultivated for the fruits and is also grown in hedges[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - widespread in the drier areas from Somalia to Senegal, south to S. Africa.

Habitat

Rocky outcrops, where it can split the rocks it grows between; dry watercourses or open country; frequently in valleys, where it reaches its greatest size; fringe forest in savannah areas, especially in swampy ground; swamp forest in coastal areas[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,000 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 36°c, but can tolerate 15 - 42°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 400 - 1,400mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Succeeds in a wide range of fertile soils[]. When growing in swampy ground, the numerous aerial roots develop into stilt roots[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7,5[].
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[].
Pollination is effected by Elisabethiella glumosae wasps[].

Edible Uses

The figs are edible[, , ]. Sweet and succulent[, ]. When fully ripe it is said to be the most flavoursome of the wild figs in Senegal[]. A small fruit, less than 10 - 14mm in diameter, in pairs in the leaf axils and often produced in clusters at the ends of branches[].

Young leaves - eaten as vegetable[, ].

The bark contains an abundant sticky white latex which is chewed as a chewing-gum[].

Medicinal

The traditional medicinal uses are numerous[].

The latex is diluted in water and used to treat diarrhoea[].
The latex is applied topically to alleviate pain from sprains and is dropped into the eyes as a treatment against sore eyes[].

The powdered bark, mixed with the latex, is used to plug carious teeth[].

A decoction of the bark is used as a mouthwash against toothache[]. A bark macerate is applied on the eyes of new born babies in Senegal to prevent conjunctivitis[]. The pounded bark is applied topically against headache. A decoction of pounded bark is used to wash sores daily until recovery.

The roots and fruits are used in preparations to cure female sterility[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is grown as a living fence[]. Lines of the tree can be planted as a windbreak[, , ].

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins[, ].
A dye extracted from the bark is used to colour textiles[]. A brick-red dye, it is popular in Mali ( in the 'bogolan' dyeing process), Sierra Leone and Ghana for dyeing cloth and raffia[].

A fibre obtained from the bark is used to make cloth[, , ].

The bark contains an abundant sticky white latex which is used as an adhesive[].

The wood is light in weight[].
The wood is a source of fuel and is also used to produce charcoal[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - does not require pre-treatment[]. It germinates best at a temperature around 20°c[].
Air layering[].
Tip cuttings around 4 - 12cm long, taken from lateral branches[].

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