Ficus sansibarica

Last updated

Knobbly fig
Ficus sansibarica, c, Olifants.jpg
Ficus sansibarica, met vye, Olifants, a.jpg
The nominate subsp. in the Kruger Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
(unranked):
(unranked):
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
F. sansibarica
Binomial name
Ficus sansibarica
Warb. 1894
Synonyms
  • F. brachylepisWelw. ex Hiern
  • F. delagoensisT. R. Sim
  • F. gossweileriHutch. [1]
  • F. langenburgiiWarb.
  • F. ugandensisHutch.
  • F. zanzibaricaBoeck. ex Engl. [2]

The Knobbly fig (Ficus sansibarica) is an African species of cauliflorous fig. It is named after Zanzibar, where Franz Stuhlmann discovered it in 1889. [3] They often begin life as epiphytes, which assume a strangling habit as they develop. [4] They regularly reach 10 m, but may grow up to 40 m tall as forest stranglers. [1]

Contents

Range and habitat

It occurs in the African tropics and subtropics from coastal elevations to 900 m above sea level. [5] The nominate subspecies has an easterly distribution, but extends westwards up the Zambezi Valley. [6]

They are found in coastal, riverine and evergreen forests or woodland, and in miombo woodlands. They are locally cultivated in parks, [6] villages [4] or bush camps. They prefer deep sandy soil and often start life as a strangler. [7] [8] The pollinating wasp is Courtella armata . [5]

Description

The light grey bark is fairly smooth, though lumpy and folded. [1] The smooth leaves are up to 13 cm long and oblong-obovate. [8] They have parallel sides and are carried on slender petioles. [1]

The large (up to 5 cm), bitter-tasting figs appear in groups of 2 or 3 during the summer months. [1] They are cauliflorous, growing on the characteristic wart-like, leafless branchlets on the trunk and main branches (i.e. old wood). [7]

F. chirindensis of the forests of southeastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique is similar, but has the leaves more oval, often has buttress roots, [7] and bears the small (1.5 cm) figs in stalked pairs on second year branches. [1]

Uses

The raw figs are used for food, and are locally believed to promote fertility. Stems are torn apart to obtain fibers for basket weaving. [4] Locally it is also deemed sacred.

Subspecies and status

The species is deemed critically endangered in Swaziland, where most are located in proposed sugar cane expansion areas near Sihoye. [9] On Inhaca Island however, it is held sacred by most communities, and is scrupulously protected. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ficus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the mulberry family Moraceae

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig (F. carica) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region, which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

Strangler fig list of plants with the same or similar names

Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species, including some banyans and unrelated vines, including among many other species:

Grey go-away-bird Species of bird

The grey go-away-bird, also known as grey lourie, grey loerie, or kwêvoël, is a bold and common bird of the southern Afrotropics. They are present in arid to moist, open woodlands and thorn savanna, especially near surface water. They regularly form groups and parties that forage in tree tops, or dust bathe on the ground. Especially when disturbed, they make their presence known by their characteristically loud and nasal "kweh" or "go-way" calls, with the last syllable typically a descending drawl. Within range, their unique combination of appearance and habits precludes confusion with other bird species.

<i>Ficus aurea</i> Species of strangler fig

Ficus aurea, commonly known as the Florida strangler fig, golden fig, or higuerón, is a tree in the family Moraceae that is native to the U.S. state of Florida, the northern and western Caribbean, southern Mexico and Central America south to Panama. The specific epithet aurea was applied by English botanist Thomas Nuttall who described the species in 1846.

<i>Ficus insipida</i> Species of fig tree the Neotropics

Ficus insipida is a tropical tree in the fig genus of the family Moraceae. It ranges from Mexico to South America, and is commonly found in cloud forest above 1,550 m ASL.

<i>Ficus</i> subg. <i>Pharmacosycea</i>

Pharmacosycea is one of six subgenera currently recognised in the genus Ficus. It was proposed by E. J. H. Corner in 1967 to unite section Pharmacosycea with Oreosycea.

<i>Ficus americana</i> Species of fig tree native to the Neotropics

Ficus americana, commonly known as the West Indian laurel fig or Jamaican cherry fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae which is native to the Caribbean, Mexico in the north, through Central and South America south to southern Brazil. It is an introduced species in Florida, USA. The species is variable; the five recognised subspecies were previously placed in a large number of other species.

<i>Ficus sur</i> Species of fig

Ficus sur, with the common names Cape fig and broom cluster fig, is a widespread Afrotropical species of cauliflorous fig.

<i>Ficus craterostoma</i> Species of fig

Ficus craterostoma, a species of strangler fig, is a fig shrub or tree of the Afrotropics that may grow up to 20 m tall. It is found in lowland tropical and swamp forests in the west, or in afromontane forests, including rocky situations, along Africa's eastern escarpments. The western and eastern populations may constitute separate species, as they occur at different altitudes where their ranges meet in central Africa, while they seem to have exclusive pollinating wasp species.

<i>Ficus salicifolia</i> Species or subspecies of Afrotropical fig

The Wonderboom is an evergreen fig species that ranges from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands northwards to tropical East Africa. It grows especially on outcrops, rocky hillsides and along cliffs fringing water courses and may rarely grow up to 10 m tall, and acquire a leafy spreading crown.

<i>Ficus ingens</i> Species of fig

Ficus ingens, the red-leaved fig, is a fig species with an extensive range in the subtropical to dry tropical regions of Africa and southern Arabia. Despite its specific name, which means "huge", or "vast", it is usually a shrub or tree of modest proportions. It is a fig of variable habit depending on the local climate and substrate, typically a stunted subshrub on elevated rocky ridges, or potentially a large tree on warmer plains and lowlands. In 1829 the missionary Robert Moffat found a rare giant specimen, into which seventeen thatch huts of a native tribe were placed, so as to be out of reach of lions.

<i>Ficus subpisocarpa</i> Species of fig

Ficus subpisocarpa is a species of small deciduous tree native to Japan, China, Taiwan and southeast Asia to the Moluccas (Ceram). Two subspecies are recognised. Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic, it reaches a height of 7 m (23 ft). Ants predominantly of the genus Crematogaster have been recorded living in stem cavities. Ficus subpisocarpa is pollinated by Platyscapa ishiiana (Agaonidae).

<i>Euclea crispa</i> Species of tree

Euclea crispa, commonly known as the blue guarri, is an Afrotropical plant species of the family Ebenaceae. The hardy and evergreen plants may form a dense stand of shrubs, or grow to tree size. It is widespread and common in the interior regions of southern Africa, and occurs northward to the tropics. Though some are present near the South African south and east coasts, they generally occur at middle to high altitudes. It is readily recognizable from its much-branched structure and dull bluish foliage colour. Those bearing lanceolate leaves may however resemble the Wild olive, another common species of the interior plateaus.

<i>Ficus burtt-davyi</i> Species of fig from Southern Africa

Ficus burtt-davyi is a fig species endemic to Southern Africa, belonging to the Mulberry family of Moraceae. It grows in coastal and inland forests up to 1500m, from the vicinity of Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape to southern Mozambique - the forms growing on coastal dunes in the northern part of its range are salt tolerant and form low thickets on the margins of woodland. In the southern and eastern Cape forests the species becomes a strangler or liane, while when found on rocky outcrops and cliffs it usually develops into a rock-splitter.

<i>Ficus vasta</i>

Ficus vasta is a fig plant found in Ethiopia and Yemen. The tree is a species of sycamore-fig.

<i>Ficus cordata</i> Species of plant in the family Moraceae

Ficus cordata, the Namaqua rock fig, is a species of fig that occurs in two disjunct populations in Africa, one in the arid southwest of the continent, and a second in the northern subtropics. In the south it is often the largest and most prominent tree, and is virtually restricted to cliff faces and rock outcrops, where it has a rock-splitting habit.

<i>Ficus cyathistipula</i> Tropical African fig tree

''Ficus cyathistipula'', the African fig tree, is a species of fig that is native to the tropical forest regions of Africa. They may be small trees, shrubs or hemi-epiphytic lianas, and are widespread in the moist tropics, where they may be found in Afromontane or rainforest, often overhanging pools. The figs are reddish when ripe, and have thick, spongy walls that enable them to float on water. They are named for their cup-shaped (cyathus-) and persistent stipules (stipula).

<i>Trilepisium madagascariense</i> Species of tree

Trilepisium madagascariense, the urnfig or false-fig, is a species of plant in the family Moraceae, with an extensive range in the subtropical and tropical Afrotropics. It grows to a medium-sized or large tree in primary or secondary forest, or in forest patches, and is rarely cultivated.

<i>Ficus exasperata</i> Species of flowering plant in the mulberry family Moraceae

Ficus exasperata, also called the sandpaper tree, forest sandpaper fig, white fig, or sandpaper leaf tree, is a deciduous, and dioecious species of plant in the mulberry family Moraceae, native to tropical Africa and southern Asia.

<i>Boscia foetida</i> Species of tree

Boscia foetida, commonly known as the stink shepherd's tree and the smelly shepherd's bush, is an evergreen shrub or tree that is native to the warmer and drier parts southern Africa. It is found in semi-desert and arid bushveld, and in the west it occurs commonly in areas which are otherwise sparsely wooded. It is known for the particularly unpleasant smell of its flowers which appear during early spring, to which its specific name foetida alludes. Its freshly cut wood likewise has an unpleasant smell, and has traditional medicinal and magical uses, for instance as a protection against lightning.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Palgrave, K.C. (1984). Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik. pp. 114–115. ISBN   0-86977-081-0.
  2. "Ficus sansibarica Warb". The Plant List. Version 1. 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 Mtsweni, Patrick. "Ficus sansibarica Warb". PlantZAfrica.com. SANBI. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Fern, Ken (2019). "Ficus sansibarica Warb. Moraceae". Tropical Plants Database. tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 Van Noort; et al. "Ficus sansibarica sansibarica Warburg 1894". Figweb. iziko museums. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  6. 1 2 Berg, C. C. (1991). "Ficus sansibarica subsp. sansibarica[family MORACEAE]". Flora Zambesiaca. JSTOR Global Plants. 9 (6): 13. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Van Wyk, Braam; et al. (1997). Field Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik. p. 78. ISBN   1-86825-922-6.
  8. 1 2 Palmer, Eve (1977). A Field Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa. London, Johannesburg: Collins. pp. 89–90. ISBN   0-620-05468-9.
  9. "SABONET Report No. 38" (PDF). Moraceae. p. 119. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2013.