Ficus wassa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus wassa Roxb.

Protologue: Fl. ind., Carey ed. 3: 539 (1832).

Synonyms

• Ficus eulampra K. Schumann (1900),
• Ficus rhodocarpa Summerh. (1929),
• Ficus nubigena Diels (1935).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: gohi, wassa, wassa laki-laki (Moluccas)
• Papua New Guinea: avavaia (Nangananga, New Britain), gabajekni (Nyamikum, Sepik).

Distribution

The Lesser Sunda Islands, the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Uses

In New Britain, the bark is scraped and chewed to give quick relief in dysentery. The leaves are used as sandpaper. Young leaves are eaten raw or cooked. In Papua New Guinea, the leaves and fruits are eaten raw or cooked, and the fibrous bark is used for men's head covering. The bark is also applied to make rope.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree up to 20 m tall, bark surface brown.
• Leaves arranged spirally or occasionally opposite, elliptical to ovate, 9-20 cm × 3-8 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate, margin entire to denticulate, with 4-7(-8) pairs of lateral veins, scabrid on both sides, stipules 6-13 mm long.
• Figs axillary, ramiflorous or cauliflorous, subglobose, 12-16 mm in diameter, scabridulous, ripening yellow to red and purple; flowers sessile or shortly stipitate, with 4-6 free tepals, male flowers in 2-3 rows, stamens 1-2(-3).

F. wassa is a forest species, generally preferring open places, and can be found from sea-level to 2000(-2600) m altitude.

Selected sources

• [281] Corner, E.J.H., 1965. Check-list of Ficus in Asia and Australia. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 21: 1-186.
• [576] Henderson, C.P. & Hancock, I.R., 1988. A guide to the useful plants of Solomon Islands. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honaira, Solomon Islands. 481 pp.
• [580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [597] Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp.
• [603] Holdsworth, D.K., 1992. Medicinal plants of the Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. Part I. International Journal of Pharmacognosy 30: 185-190.
• [900] Mansfeld, R., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaflicher und gaertnerischer Kulturpflanzen (ohne Zierpflanzen) [Register of agricultural and horticultural plants (withouth ornamentals)]. 2nd Edition, revised by J. Schultze-Motel. 4 volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 1998 pp.
• [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