Ficus adenosperma (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus adenosperma Miq.

Protologue: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 3: 233 (1867).

Synonyms

• Ficus pauper King (1888),
• Ficus turbinata Ridley (1916).
• Ficus chaetophora Warb.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: fangkis (Maibrat, Irian Jaya), nusu, tintinalino (Sulawesi)
• Papua New Guinea: simpa (Kabiufa, Eastern Highlands).

Distribution

Sulawesi, the Moluccas, New Guinea, east to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, south to northern Australia.

Uses

In Papua New Guinea, the latex from the leaves is applied to sores and scabies; fresh roots are chewed to treat malaria. The timber, which is of poor quality, has been used for house building.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree up to 20 m tall.
• Leaves alternate, narrowly ovate to ovate or elliptical, 5-18 cm × 3-7.5 cm, base cuneate to subcordate, apex short acuminate to attenuate, margin entire, appressed hairy below when young, with 8-10 pairs of lateral veins, stipules 1-3 cm long.
• Figs globose to pyriform, 1-1.8 cm in diameter, smooth to pustular, on a peduncle up to 1 cm long; male flowers in 1 row, with 4-5 tepals and 1 stamen, female flowers sessile, with 3-4 tepals.

F. adenosperma is found in primary and secondary forest, up to 2500 m altitude, chiefly near rivers, often developing thickets on sandbanks and islands.

Selected sources

• 167. Boer, E. & Sosef, M.S.M., 1998. Ficus L. In: Sosef, M.S.M., Hong, L.T. & Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Editors): Plant Resources of South East Asia No 5(3). Timber trees: Lesser known timbers. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. pp. 232-238.
• 248. Chew, W. L., 1989. Moraceae. In: George, A.S. (Editor): Flora of Australia. Vol. 3. Hamamelidales to Casuarinales. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, Australia. pp. 15-68.
• 281. Corner, E.J.H., 1965. Check list of Ficus in Asia and Australia. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 21: 1-186.
• 597. Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp.
• 607. Holdsworth, D.K. & Kerenga, K., 1987. Medicinal plants of the Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea. International Journal of Crude Drug Research 25: 171-176.
• 1104.Paijmans, K. (Editor), 1976. New Guinea vegetation. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 209 pp.

Main genus page

• Ficus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• J.P. Rojo, F.C. Pitargue & M.S.M. Sosef