Ficus deltoidea (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus deltoidea Jack

Protologue: Malayan Misc. 2: 71 (1822).

Synonyms

• Ficus diversifolia Blume (1825),
• Ficus lutescens Desf. (1829),
• Ficus motleyana Miq. (1867).

Vernacular names

• Rusty-leaved bush fig, mistletoe fig (En)
• Indonesia: tabat barito (general)
• Malaysia: ara burong, ara jelateh, ara tanah (Peninsular).

Distribution

Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippines (Palawan) and Sulawesi; introduced in Indo-China, India and Pakistan.

Uses

In South Kalimantan, F. deltoidea is reported to be an effective remedy against leucorrhoea. As it promotes contraction of the vagina it is also considered an aphrodisiac. The latex may have been applied as fish poison. In Thailand, F. deltoidea is used as an ornamental. Various selections are commercially grown as pot plant in temperate regions.

Observations

• An evergreen epiphyte or small shrub up to 2 m tall.
• Leaves obovate to elliptical or obdeltoid, 2.5-8 cm × 1.3-7.5 cm, base broadly cuneate, apex blunt to truncate or widely notched, rarely pointed, margin entire, white-spotted above, rusty or yellow-olive below, the midrib sometimes forked, stipules 8-12 mm long.
• Figs axillary, solitary or paired, globose to oblong, 5-10 mm in diameter, ripening to orange or red; male flowers dispersed, with 2-3 free tepals and 2 stamens, female flowers sessile to subsessile, with 3-4 tepals.

F. deltoidea is a variable species divided into many varieties. It is common in lowlands and mountains, up to 3200 m altitude, generally occurring as an epiphyte, but as a terrestrial bush on sandy shores and mountain tops and bogs.

Selected sources

• [202] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.
• [281] Corner, E.J.H., 1965. Check-list of Ficus in Asia and Australia. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 21: 1-186.
• [282] Corner, E.J.H., 1969. The complex of Ficus deltoidea. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B, 256: 281-317.
• [284] Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.
• [478] Ghafoor, A., 1985. Moraceae. In: Nasir, E. & Ali, S.I. (Editors): Flora of Pakistan No 171. National Herbarium (Stewart Collection), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan. 54 pp.
• [1230] Rifai, M.A., 1973. Catatan botani tentang tabat barito [A botanical note on 'tabat barito' (Ficus deltoidea var. deltoidea)]. Acta Pharmaceutica 4(3-4): 67-71.
• [1289] Sastrapradja, S. & Afristiani, J.J., 1984. Kerabat beringin [The genus Ficus]. Seri Sumber Daya Alam 115. Lembaga Biologi Nasional - LIPI, Bogor, Indonesia. 118 pp.

Main genus page

• Ficus (Medicinal plants)

Authors

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