Ficus ampelas (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus ampelas Burm.f.

Protologue: Fl. ind.: 226 (1768).

Synonyms

• Ficus soronensis King (1887),
• Ficus kingiana Hemsley (1897),
• Ficus blepharosepala Warb. (1905).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: hampelas (Sundanese), rempelas (Javanese), pila (Moluccas)
• Philippines: upling-gubat (Tagalog).

Distribution

From the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan to the Philippines, Sumatra, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and New Guinea including New Britain; possibly also in Borneo.

Uses

The latex is taken internally to treat diarrhoea. In Indonesia it is used as a diuretic. In New Ireland, the latex of young leaves, mixed with water, is given to babies with mouth sores. The fruits are eaten raw or cooked. The leaves have been used for sandpapering.

Observations

• An evergreen, small to medium-sized tree up to 15(-20) m tall, bark smooth, greyish to brown.
• Leaves distichous, narrowly elliptical, 4-15 cm × 1.5-5 cm, base cuneate, apex acute or acuminate, margin entire, with 3-6 pairs of lateral veins, scabrid, stipules up to 8 mm long.
• Figs axillary and clustered on twigs, stipitate, subglobose, 7-10 mm in diameter, scabridulous, ripening to red or purple; flowers with 3-5 tepals, male flowers sessile, with 1 stamen, female flowers sessile or with a short stipe.

F. ampelas is common in primary and secondary lowland forest.

Selected sources

202, 281, 580, 606, 856, 1126, 1274, 1384.

Authors

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