Ficus
57893
225882590
2008-07-15T21:08:36Z
Kay Dekker
151349
/* Fig pollination and fig fruit */ Wasps have larvae, not maggots.
{{for|Monroe Ficus|Too Close for Comfort (TV series)}}
{{Redirect|Fig}}
{{Taxobox
| name = ''Ficus''
| image = Sycomoros old.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = [[Sycamore Fig]], ''Ficus sycomorus''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| subclassis = [[Rosidae]]
| unranked_ordo = [[Eurosids I]]
| ordo = [[Rosales]]
| familia = [[Moraceae]]
| genus = '''''Ficus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Röding]] (1798)
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
About 800, see [[#Selected species|text]]
}}
'''Ficus''' is a [[genus]] of about 800 [[species]] of woody [[tree]]s, [[shrub]]s, [[vine]]s, [[epiphyte]]s, and hemi-epiphytes in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Moraceae]]. Collectively known as '''figs''', they are native throughout the [[tropics]] with a few species extending into the warm [[temperate]] zone. The so-called [[Common Fig]] (''F. carica'') is a temperate species from the Middle East and southern Europe (mostly Turkey), 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 paramount cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses. Among the more famous species are the [[Sacred Fig]] tree (''Peepul, Bodhi, Bo,'' or ''Po, Ficus religiosa'') and the [[Banyan]] Fig (''Ficus benghalensis''). The oldest living plant of known planting date is a ''Ficus religiosa'' tree known as the [[Sri Maha Bodhi]] planted in the temple at [[Anuradhapura]], Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BC. The Common Fig tree (''Ficus carica'') is the first plant cited in the Bible. In Genesis 3:7 is described how Adam and Eve cover themselves with fig leaves when they discover that they are naked. The fig fruit is also included in the list of food found in the Promised Land, according to the Torah (Deut. 8). They are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates (representing the honey).
Figs occupy a wide variety of [[ecological niche]]s. Take, for example, the [[Common Fig]], a small temperate deciduous tree whose fingered [[fig leaf]] is well-known in art and [[iconography]]; or the [[Weeping Fig]] (''F. benjamina'') a hemi-epiphyte with thin tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its [[rain forest]] habitat; or the [[Creeping Fig]] (''F. pumila''), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls. Moreover, figs with different plant habits have undergone [[adaptive radiation]] in different [[biogeographic]] regions, often leading to very high levels of [[alpha diversity]]. In the tropics, it is quite common to find that ''Ficus'' is the most species-rich plant genus in a particular forest. In Asia as many as 70 or more species can co-exist.
Although identifying many of the species can be difficult, figs as a group are relatively easy to recognize. Often the presence of [[aerial root]]s or the general [[Gestalt]] of the plant will give them away. Their fruit are also distinct. The fig fruit is in fact an enclosed [[inflorescence]], sometimes referred to as a [[syconium]], an urn-like structure lined on the inside with the fig's tiny flowers. The unique fig [[pollination]] system, involving tiny, highly specific wasps, know as [[fig wasp]]s that enter these closed inflorescences to both pollinate and lay their own eggs, has been a constant source of inspiration and wonder to biologists<ref name="ronsted">{{cite journal
| quotes =
| author = Nina Rønsted, George D Weiblen, James M Cook, Nicolas Salamin, Carlos A Machado and Vincent Savolainen
| date = [[December 22]], [[2005]]
| title = 60 million years of co-divergence in the fig–wasp symbiosis
| journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
| volume = 272
| issue = 1581
| pages = 2593–2599
| publisher = Royal Society Publishing
| location = London
| issn = 0962-8452
| pmid = 1559977
| doi = 10.1098/rspb.2005.3249.
| url = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1559977
| accessdate = 2008-03-3
| doi_brokendate = 2008-06-25
}}</ref>. Finally, there are three vegetative traits that together are unique to figs. All figs possess a white to yellowish sap ([[latex]]), some in copious quantities; the twig has paired [[stipules]] or a circular stipule scar if the stipules have fallen off; and the lateral veins at the base of the leaf are steep, that is they form a tighter angle with the midrib than the other lateral veins, a feature referred to as a "tri-veined".
Unfortunately, there are no unambiguous older [[fossil]]s of ''Ficus''. However, current [[molecular clock]] estimates indicate that ''Ficus'' is a relatively ancient genus being at least 60 million years old<ref name="ronsted"/>, and possibly as old as 80 million years. The main radiation of [[extant]] species, however, may have taken place more recently, between 20 and 40 million years ago.
==Ecology and uses==
[[Image:Coppersmith Barbet on Pilkhan Tree I IMG 8185.jpg|thumb|[[Coppersmith Barbet]] feeding on [[White Fig]] (''Ficus virens'') fruit]]
Figs are [[keystone species]] in many [[rainforest]] [[ecosystem]]s. Their fruit are a key resource for some [[fruit]] [[carnivores]] including [[Megabat|fruit bats]], [[capuchin monkey]]s, [[Colobinae|langurs]] and [[mangabey]]s. They are even more important for some [[bird]]s. [[megalaimidae|Asian barbets]], [[Columbidae|pigeons]], [[hornbill]]s, [[Cyclopsitticini|fig-parrots]] and [[bulbul]]s are examples of [[taxon|taxa]] which may almost entirely subsist on figs when these are in plenty. Many [[Lepidoptera]] [[caterpillar]]s, for example of several ''[[Euploea]]'' species (Crow butterflies), the [[Danaus chrysippus|Plain Tiger]] (''Danaus chrysippus''), the [[Papilio cresphontes|Giant Swallowtail]] (''Papilio cresphontes''), the [[Badamia exclamationis|Brown Awl]] (''Badamia exclamationis''), and ''[[Chrysodeixis eriosoma]]'', [[Choreutidae]] and [[Copromorphidae]] [[moth]]s feed on fig leaves. The [[Citrus long-horned beetle]] (''Anoplophora chinensis''), for example, has larvae which feed on [[wood]], including that of fig trees; it can become a [[pest (organism)|pest]] in fig plantations. Similarly, the [[Sweet Potato Whitefly]] (''Bemisia tabaci'') is frequently found as a pest on figs grown as [[houseplant|potted plant]]s and is spread through the export of these plants to other localities. For a list of other diseases common to fig trees, see [[List of foliage plant diseases (Moraceae)]].
[[Image:Ficus religiosa Bo.jpg|thumb|left|Leaves of the [[Sacred Fig]] (''F. religiosa'')]]
The wood of fig trees is often soft and the [[latex]] precludes its use for many purposes. It was used to make [[mummy]] [[casket]]s in [[Ancient Egypt]]. Certain fig species (mainly ''[[Ficus cotinifolia|F. cotinifolia]]'', ''[[Ficus glabrata|F. glabrata]]'' and ''[[Ficus padifolia|F. padifolia]]'') are traditionally used in [[Mesoamerica]] to produce ''[[a,atl|papel amate]]'' ([[Nahuatl]]: ''āmatl''). ''[[Mutuba]]'' (''[[Ficus natalensis|F. natalensis]]'') is used to produce [[barkcloth]] in [[Uganda]]. ''Pou'' (''[[sacred fig|F. religiosa]]'' leaves' shape inspired one of the standard ''[[kbach|kbach rachana]]'', decorative elements in [[Cambodia]]n architecture. [[Ficus benjamina|Weeping Fig]] (''F. benjamina'') and [[Ficus elastica|Indian Rubber Plant]] (''F. elastica'') are identified as powerful air-cleaning plants in the [[NASA Clean Air Study]]. [[Ficus benghalensis|Indian Banyan]] (''F. bengalensis'') and the Indian Rubber Plant, as well as other species, have use in [[herbalism]]. The latter is known to be a [[hyperaccumulator]] of [[benzene]] and [[methane]]{{dubious}}, and urban or potted plants should be considered toxic for that reason.
[[Image:Huex codex 1a loc.jpg|thumb|right|A page from the [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[Huexotzinco Codex]], painted on ''[[āmatl]]'']]
Figs have figured prominently in some human cultures. There is evidence that figs, specifically the [[Common fig]] (''F. carica'') and [[Ficus sycomorus|Sycamore fig]] (''F. sycomorus''), were among the first - if not the very first - plant species that were deliberately bred for agriculture in the [[Middle East]], starting more than 11,000 years ago. Nine [[subfossil]] F. carica figs dated to about [[10th millennium BC|9400-9200 BC]] were found in the early [[Neolithic]] village [[Gilgal I]] (in the [[Jordan Valley]], 13 km north of [[Jericho]]). These were a [[parthenocarpy|parthenocarpic]] type and thus apparently an early cultivar. This find predates the cultivation of [[cereal|grain]] in the [[Middle East]] many hundreds of years.<ref>Kislev ''et al.'' (2006a, b), Lev-Yadun ''et al.'' (2006)</ref>.
Additionally, the fig tree has profoundly influenced culture through several religious traditions. It is one of the two sacred trees of [[Islam]], and in [[East Asia]], figs are pivotal in [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]] and [[Jainism]]. [[Gautama Buddha|Siddhārtha Gautama]], the Supreme [[Buddhahood|Buddha]], is traditionally held to have found ''[[bodhi]]'' (enlightenment) while meditating under a [[Sacred fig|Sacred Fig]] (''F. religiosa''). The same species was ''[[Ashvastha]]'', the "[[world tree]]" of Hinduism. The ''[[Sacred fig|Plaksa]] Pra-sravana'' was said to be a fig tree between the roots of which the [[Sarasvati River]] sprang forth; it is usually held to be a Sacred Fig but more probably seems to be a [[Wavy-leaved Fig]] (''[[Ficus infectoria|F. infectoria]]'').
==Fig pollination and fig fruit==
[[Image:Fig.jpg|thumb|The [[syconium]] of the [[common fig|Fig]] tree.]]
[[Image:Fig interior.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Inside a ripe brown turkey fig]]
{{seealso|Common Fig}}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Figs, fresh | kJ=310 | protein=0.8 g | fat=0.3 g | carbs=19 g | sugars=16 g | fiber=3 g | source_usda=1 | right=1 }}
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Figs, dried | kJ=1041 | protein=3 g | fat=1 g | carbs=64 g | fiber=10 g | sugars=48 g | glucose=25 g | fructose=23 g | source_usda=1 | right=1 }}
The fig is commonly thought of as fruit, but it is properly the flower of the fig tree. It is in fact a [[false fruit]] or [[multiple fruit]], in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass.
The genus ''[[Dorstenia]]'', also in the figs family ([[Moraceae]]), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface.
A fig "fruit" is derived from a specially adapted type of [[inflorescence]] (an arrangement of multiple flowers). In this case, it is an involuted, nearly closed receptacle with many small flowers arranged on the ''inner'' surface. Thus the actual flowers of the fig are unseen unless the fig is cut open. In [[Chinese (language)|Chinese]] the fig is called "wú huā guǒ" or "fruit without flower".<ref>[http://www.mandarintools.com/cgi-bin/wordlook.pl?word=fig&searchtype=english&where=whole entry for "fig"] from the [http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html mandarintools.com Chinese English dictionary]: {{Chinese-inline | s= 无花果 | t= 無花果}} literally "without-flower-fruit."</ref> In [[Bengali language|Bengali]], where the Common Fig is called ''dumur'', it is referenced in a proverb: ''tumi jeno dumurer phool hoe gele'' ("You have become [invisible like] the ''dumur'' flower").
[[Image:Fig leaf.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A fig leaf.]]
The syconium often has a bulbous shape with a small opening (the [[ostiole]]) at the outward end that allows access to [[pollinator]]s. The flowers are pollinated by [[Fig wasp|very small wasp]]s that crawl through the opening in search of a suitable place to lay eggs. Without this pollinator service fig trees cannot reproduce by seed. In turn, the flowers provide a safe haven and nourishment for the next generation of wasps. This accounts for the frequent presence of wasp larvae in the fruit. Technically, a fig fruit proper would be one of the many tiny mature, seed-bearing flowers found inside one fig - if you cut open a fresh fig, the flowers will appear as fleshy "threads", each bearing a single seed inside.
The fig plants can be monoicous (hermaphrodite) or dioicous (hermaphrodite and female) (see Berg & Corner, 2005).
All the native fig trees of the American continent are monoicous, as well as the species ''F. benghalensis'', ''F. microcarpa'', ''F. religiosa'', ''F. benjamina'', ''F. elastica'', ''F. lyrata'', ''F. sycomorus'', ''F. macrophylla'', etc.
On the other hand the Common Fig (''Ficus carica'') is a dioicous plant, as well as, ''F. aspera'', ''F. auriculata'', ''F. deltoidea'', ''F. pseudopalma'', ''F. pumila'', etc.
The hermaphrodite Common Figs are called '''"inedible figs"''' or '''caprifigs'''; in traditional Common Fig culture in the [[Mediterranean region]], they were considered food for [[goat]]s (''Capra aegagrus''). In the female fig trees, the male flower parts fail to develop; they produce the '''"edible figs"'''. [[Fig wasp]]s grow in Common Fig caprifigs but not in the female syconiums because the female flower is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the fig it grew up in. When the wasp dies, it is broken down by enzymes inside the fig. Fig wasps are not known to transmit any diseases harmful to humans.
When a caprifig ripens, another caprifig must be ready to be pollinated. In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs, and there are distinct crops. Common Fig{{Verify source|date=November 2007}} caprifigs have three crops per year; edible figs have two. The first ('''breba'''{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- Apparently the name of the crop -->) produces small fruits called '''olynth'''<!-- Apparently the name of the individual fruits -->. Some [[parthenocarpic]] [[cultivar]]s of Common Figs do not require pollination at all, and will produce a crop of figs (albeit [[sterile]]) in the absence of caprifigs or fig wasps.
There is typically only one species of wasp capable of fertilizing the flowers of each species of fig, and therefore plantings of fig species outside of their native range results in effectively sterile individuals. For example, in [[Hawaii]], some 60 species of figs have been introduced, but only four of the wasps that fertilize them have been introduced, so only four species of figs produce viable seeds there. This is an example of [[mutualism]], i.e. one organism (fig plant) can not propagate itself without the other one (fig wasp).
The intimate association between fig species and their wasp pollinators, along with the high incidence of a one-to-one plant-pollinator ratio have long led scientists to believe that figs and wasps are a clear example of [[coevolution]]. Morphological and reproductive behavior evidence, such as the correspondence between fig and wasp larvae maturation rates, have been cited as support for this hypothesis for many years.<ref>Machado ''et al.'' (2001)</ref>. Additionally, recent genetic and molecular dating analyses have shown a very close correspondence in the character evolution and [[speciation]] phylogenies of these two clades.<ref>Ronsted ''et al.'' (2005)</ref>.
== Selected species ==
{{Expert|date=April 2008}}
[[Image:Ficus altissima1.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus altissima]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus aspera 3.jpg|thumb|right|Figs of a [[variegated]] ''[[Ficus aspera]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus deltoidea.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mistletoe Fig]], ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus erecta5.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus erecta]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus lutea 0005.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus lutea]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus mauritiana.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Ficus mauritiana]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus pseudopalma.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus pseudopalma]]'']]
[[Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Ficus variegata]]'' in [[Mong Kok]], Hong Kong.]]
[[Image:Ficus fig-fruit-on-trunk.jpg|thumb|right|Fruits on the trunk of a ''Ficus'' in [[India]]]]
<div float="left">
{{col-begin|width=75%}}
{{col-1-of-2}}
* ''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small> (= ''F. soldanella'' <small>Warb.</small>)
* ''[[Ficus adhatodifolia]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus aguaraguensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus albert-smithii]]''
* ''[[Ficus albipila]]'' – [[Abbey Tree]], [[Phueng Tree]], ''[[tandiran]]''
* ''[[Ficus altissima]]''
* ''[[Ficus amazonica]]''
* ''[[Ficus americana]]''
* ''[[Ficus andamanica]]''
* ''[[Ficus angladei]]''
* ''[[Ficus aripuanensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus arpazusa]]''(Brazil<ref>Described by Carauta & Diaz, pgs.38/39</ref>)
* ''[[Ficus aspera]]''
** ''Ficus aspera'' var. ''parcelli''
* ''[[Ficus aurea]]'' – [[Florida Strangler Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus auriculata]]''
* ''[[Ficus barbata]]'' – [[Bearded Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus beddomei]]'' – [[Thavital]]
* ''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'' – [[Indian Banyan]], Bengal Fig, East Indian Fig, ''borh'' ([[Pakistan]]), ''wad'', "[[indian fig]]"
* ''[[Ficus benjamina]]'' – [[Weeping Fig]], Benjamin's Fig
* ''[[Ficus bibracteata]]''
* ''[[Ficus bizanae]]''
* ''[[Ficus blepharophylla]]''
* ''[[Ficus bojeri]]''
* ''[[Ficus broadwayi]]''
* ''[[Ficus bubu]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Ficus burtt-davyi]]'' <small>Hutch.</small>
* ''[[Ficus calyptroceras]]''
* ''[[Ficus capreifolia]]'' <small>Del.</small>
* ''[[Ficus carica]]'' – [[Common Fig]], ''anjeer'' (Pakistan), ''dumur'' ([[Bengali language|Bengali]])
* ''[[Ficus castellviana]]''
* ''[[Ficus catappifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus citrifolia]]'' – [[Short-leaved Fig]], Wild Banyantree
* ''[[Ficus clusiifolia]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus cordata]]'' <small>Thunb.</small>
** ''Ficus cordata'' ssp. ''salicifolia'' <small>(Vahl) Berg</small>
* ''[[Ficus coronata]]'' – [[Creek Sandpaper Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus cotinifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus crassipes]]'' round leaf banana fig
* ''[[Ficus crassiuscula]]''
* ''[[Ficus craterostoma]]'' <small>Warb. ex Mildbr. & Burr.</small>
* ''[[Ficus cristobalensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus cyclophylla]]''
* ''[[Ficus dammaropsis]]''
* ''[[Ficus dendrocida]]''
* ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]'' – [[Mistletoe Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus destruens]]'' <small>F.Muell. ex C.T.White</small>
* ''[[Ficus drupacea]]''
* ''[[Ficus elastica]]'' – [[Indian Rubber Plant]], Rubber Fig, "[[rubber tree]]", "[[rubber plant]]"
** ''Ficus elastica'' cv. 'Decora'
** ''Ficus elastica'' var. ''variegata''
* ''[[Ficus elliotiana]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus enormis]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus erecta]]''
* ''[[Ficus eugenioides]]''
* ''[[Ficus faulkneriana]]''
* ''[[Ficus fischeri]]'' <small>Warb. ex Mildbr. & Burr.</small> (= ''F. kiloneura'' <small>Hornby</small>)
* ''[[Ficus fistulosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus fraseri]]'' – [[Shiny Sandpaper Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus gardneriana]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus gibbosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus glabra]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus glaberrima]]''
* ''[[Ficus glabrata]]''
* ''[[Ficus glumosa]]'' <small>(Miq.) Del.</small> (=''F. sonderi'' <small>Miq.</small>)
* ''[[Ficus godeffroyi]]''
* ''[[Ficus gomelleira]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus greiffiana]]''
* ''[[Ficus grenadensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus grossularioides]]'' – [[White-leaved Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus guaranitica]]'' (Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina<ref>Carauta & Diaz, pgs.64/66</ref>)
* ''[[Ficus guianensis]]'' (Brazil <ref>Carauta & Diaz, pgs.67/69</ref>)
* ''[[Ficus hartii]]''
* ''[[Ficus hebetifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus hederacea]]''
* ''[[Ficus heterophylla]]''
* ''[[Ficus hirsuta]]''
* ''[[Ficus hirta]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
* ''[[Ficus hispida]]''
* ''[[Ficus hispita]]'' <small>L.</small>
* ''[[Ficus ilicina]]'' <small>(Sond.) Miq.</small>
* ''[[Ficus illiberalis]]''
* ''[[Ficus insipida]]'' <small>[[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]</small>
* ''[[Ficus luschnathiana]]'' <small>([[Miq.]]) [[Miq.]]</small>
* ''[[Ficus indica]]'' – ''[[nyagrodha]]''
* ''[[Ficus infectoria]]'' – [[Wavy-leaved Fig]], ''[[plaksa]]''
* ''[[Ficus ingens]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small>
* ''[[Ficus krukovii]]''
* ''[[Ficus lacor]]''
* ''[[Ficus lacunata]]''
* ''[[Ficus laevigata]]'' – [[Jamaican Cherry]]
* ''[[Ficus laevis]]''
* ''[[Ficus lapathifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus lateriflora]]''
* ''[[Ficus lauretana]]''
* ''[[Ficus lutea]]'' <small>Vahl</small> (= ''F. vogelii'', ''F. nekbudu'', ''F. quibeba'' <small>Welw. ex Fical.</small>)
* ''[[Ficus lyrata]]'' – [[Fiddle-leaved Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus macbrideii]]''
* ''[[Ficus macrocarpa]]''{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- = F. retusa? -->
* ''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' – [[Moreton Bay Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus magnifolia]]''
{{col-2-of-2}}
* ''[[Ficus malacocarpa]]''
* ''[[Ficus mariae]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus mathewsii]]''
* ''[[Ficus matiziana]]''
* ''[[Ficus mauritiana]]''
* ''[[Ficus maxima]]''
* ''[[Ficus meizonochlamys]]''
* ''[[Ficus mexiae]]''
* ''[[Ficus microcarpa]]'' – [[Chinese Banyan]], Malayan Banyan, Curtain Fig, "[[Indian laurel]]"
** ''Ficus microcarpa'' var. ''hillii'' – Hill's Fig
** ''Ficus microcarpa'' var. ''nitida'' - often considered a [[subspecies]] of ''F. retusa'' or a distinct species
* ''[[Ficus minahasae]]'' – ''[[longusei]]'' ([[Sulawesi]]{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- perhaps generally Indonesian -->)
* ''[[Ficus mollior]]'' <small>F.Muell. ex [[George Bentham|Benth.]]</small>
* ''[[Ficus monckii]]''
* ''[[Ficus montana]]''
* ''[[Ficus muelleri]]''
* ''[[Ficus muelleriana]]''
* ''[[Ficus mutabilis]]''
* ''[[Ficus mysorensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus natalensis]]'' <small>Hochst.</small> – ''[[mutuba]]'' ([[Luganda]])
** ''Ficus natalensis'' ssp. ''leprieurii''
** ''Ficus natalensis'' ssp. ''natalensis''
* ''[[Ficus nervosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus noronhae]]''
* ''[[Ficus nota]]'' – ''[[tibig]]''
* ''[[Ficus nymphaeifolia]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus obliqua]]'' – [[Small-leaved Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus obtusifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus obtusiuscula]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus opposita]]''
* ''[[Ficus organensis]]'' <small>([[Miq.]]) [[Miq.]]</small>
* ''[[Ficus padifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus pakkensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus pallida]]''
* ''[[Ficus palmata]]''
* ''[[Ficus palmeri]]''
* ''[[Ficus pandurata]]''
* ''[[Ficus panurensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus pertusa]]''
* ''[[Ficus pilosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus platypoda]]'' – [[Desert Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus pleurocarpa]]'' <small>F.Muell.</small> banana fig
* ''[[Ficus polita]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
** ''Ficus polita'' ssp. ''polita''
* ''[[Ficus prolixa]]'' <small>G.Forst.</small> (= ''F. mariannensis'' <small>Merr.</small>)
* ''[[Ficus pseudopalma]]'' <small>Blanco</small>
* ''[[Ficus pulchella]]''
* ''[[Ficus pumila]]'' – [[Creeping Fig]]
** ''[[Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang|Ficus pumila'' var. ''awkeotsang'']]
* ''[[Ficus pyriformis]]''
* ''[[Ficus racemosa]]'' – [[Cluster Fig]], Goolar Fig, ''udumbara'' ([[Sanskrit]]), ''umbar'' (India)
* ''[[Ficus ramiflora]]''
* ''[[Ficus religiosa]]'' – [[Sacred Fig]], ''arali'', ''bo, pipal, pippala, pimpal'' (etc.), ''pou'' ([[Cambodia]]), ''[[Ashvastha]]''
* ''[[Ficus retusa]]'' – "[[Indian laurel]]"
* ''[[Ficus roraimensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus rubiginosa]]'' – [[Port Jackson Fig]], Little-leaved Fig, Rusty Fig, ''damun'' ([[Sydney Language]])
* ''[[Ficus rumphii]]'' <small>Blume</small> – [[Rumpf's Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus salicifolia]]'' <small>Vahl</small> (= ''F. pretoriae'' <small>Burtt Davy</small>) – [[Willow-leaved Fig]]
* ''[[Ficus salzmanniana]]''
* ''[[Ficus sansibarica]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Ficus saussureana]]''
* ''[[Ficus schippii]]''
* ''[[Ficus schultesii]]''
* ''[[Ficus schumacheri]]''
* ''[[Ficus sphenophylla]]''
* ''[[Ficus stahlii]]''
* ''[[Ficus stuhlmannii]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Ficus subpuberula]]''
* ''[[Ficus superba]]''
* ''[[Ficus sur]]'' <small>Forssk.</small> (= ''F. capensis'')
* ''[[Ficus sycomorus]]'' – [[Sycamore Fig]], Fig-mulberry
** ''Ficus sycomorus'' ssp. ''sycomorus''
** ''Ficus sycomorus'' ssp. ''gnaphalocarpa'' <small>(Miq.) C.C. Berg</small>
* ''[[Ficus tettensis]]'' <small>Hutch.</small> (= ''F. smutsii'' <small>Verdoorn</small>)
* ''[[Ficus thonningii]]''
* ''[[Ficus tinctoria]]'' – [[Dye Fig]], Humped Fig
* ''[[Ficus tobagensis]]''
* ''[[Ficus tomentella]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
* ''[[Ficus tomentosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus tremula]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
** ''Ficus tremula'' ssp. ''tremula''
* ''[[Ficus triangularis]]''
* ''[[Ficus trichopoda]]'' <small>Bak.</small> (= ''F. hippopotami'' <small>Gerstn.</small>)
* ''[[Ficus trigona]]'' <small>[[L.f.]]</small>
* ''[[Ficus trigonata]]''
* ''[[Ficus triradiata]]'' red stipule fig
* ''[[Ficus tuerckheimii]]''
* ''[[Ficus ulmifolia]]''
* ''[[Ficus ursina]]''
* ''[[Ficus variegata]]'' <small>Bl.</small>
** ''Ficus variegata'' var. ''chlorocarpa'' <small>King</small>
* ''[[Ficus variolosa]]''
* ''[[Ficus velutina]]''
* ''[[Ficus verruculosa]]'' Warb.
* ''[[Ficus virens]]'' – [[White Fig]], ''[[pilkhan]]'', ''an-borndi'' ([[Gun-djeihmi]])
* ''[[Ficus virgata]]''
* ''[[Ficus wassa]]''
* ''[[Ficus watkinsiana]]'' Green-leaved Moreton Bay Fig
{{col-end}}
</div>
==List of famous fig trees==
* ''[[Ashvastha]]'' - the [[world tree]] of [[Hinduism]], held to be a supernatural ''F. religiosa''
* [[Bodhi tree]] - a ''F. religiosa''
* [[Charybdis Fig Tree]] of the [[Odyssey]]
* [[Curtain Fig Tree]] - a ''F. virens''
* [[Ficus Ruminalis]] - a ''F. carica''
* ''[[Plaksa]]'' - another supernatural fig in Hinduism; usually identified as ''F. religiosa'' but probably ''F. infectoria ''
* [[Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree]] - a ''F. macrophylla''
* [[Sri Maha Bodhi]] - another ''F. religiosa''. Planted in 288 BC, the oldest human-planted tree on record
* [[The Great Banyan]] - a ''F. benghalensis'', a [[clonal colony]] and once the largest organism known
* [[Vidurashwatha]] - "[[Vidura]]'s Sacred Fig tree", a village in India named after a famous ''F. religiosa'' that until recently stood there
==See also==
* [[Abraham Mauricio Salazar]], famous ''papel amate'' artist
* [[Amphoe Pho Sai]] and [[Amphoe Suan Phueng]], districts in [[Thailand]] named after ''Ficus'' species
* [[Banyan]]
* [[Edred John Henry Corner]]
* [[Fig Newton]]
* [[Fig-parrot]]s
* [[Figtree]]
* [[List of fruits]]
* [[Miracles of Jesus#Controlling Nature|Miracles of Jesus]]: the [[The Fig Tree|parable of the barren fig tree]]
* [[Mission fig]]
* [[Pippalada]] - [[Atharva-Veda]] scholar whose name means "Sacred Fig eater"
* [[Strangler Fig]]
*[[Figs in the Bible]]
==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* {{aut|Carauta, Pedro; Diaz, Ernani}} (2002): Figueiras no Brasil. Editora UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, ISBN 85-7108-250-2.
* {{aut|Berg, C. C. & Corner, E. J. H.}} (2005): Moraceae. Flora Malesiana. Ser. I, vol. 17, part 2.
* {{aut|Harrison, Rhett D.}} (2005): Figs and the diversity of tropical rain forests. ''Bioscience'' '''55'''(12): 1053-1064.
* {{aut|Kislev, Mordechai E.; Hartmann, Anat & Bar-Yosef, Ofer}} (2006a): Early Domesticated Fig in the Jordan Valley. ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' '''312'''(5778): 1372. <small>{{doi|10.1126/science.1125910}}</small> (HTML abstract) [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;312/5778/1372/DC1 Supporting Online Material]
* {{aut|Lewington, Anna; Parker, Edward}} (1999): Ancient trees: Trees that live for 1000 years. London, Collins & Brown Limited, pp192.
* {{aut|Ronsted, Nina; Weiblen, George D.; Cook, James M.; Salamin, Nicholas; Machado, Carlos A. & Savoainen, Vincent}} (2005): 60 million years of co-divergence in the fig-wasp symbiosis. ''Proceeding of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences'' '''272'''(1581): 2593-2599. <small>{{doi|10.1098/rspb.2005.3249}}</small> [http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/321l738017m74313/ PDF fulltext]
* {{aut|Shanahan, M., Compton, S. G., So, Samson, Corlett, Richard}} (2001): Fig-eating by vertebrate frugivores: a global review. ''Biological Reviews'' '''76''': 529-572.
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Ficus}}
* [http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/index.htm Figweb] Major reference site for the genus ''Ficus''
* [http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/Video/index.htm Video: Interaction of figs and fig wasps] Multi-award-winning documentary
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Fig]
* [http://www.ficustrees.info Ficus Tree and Fig Care Information]
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Fig Fruit Facts]
* [http://www.nafex.org/figs.htm North American Fruit Explorers: Fig]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5038116.stm BBC: Fig fossil clue to early farming]
[[Category:Accessory fruit]]
[[Category:Ficus|*]]
[[Category:Fruits of Iran]]
[[Category:Plant morphology]]
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