Ficus auriculata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus auriculata Lour.

Family: Moraceae

Synonyms

• Ficus roxburghii Wallich ex Miq.

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: ara, kelebok, mangtan
• Burma: sin-thahpan
• Thailand: duea-wa (Chiang Mai), saipho (central)
• Vietnam: va'.

Distribution

Wild and cultivated from the Himalayas to southern China and Hainan, including Burma, Thailand and Indo-China. Also cultivated in India and Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

The large figs are edible and are used in the preparation of jam, juice and curries. In Vietnam unripe fruits are used in salads. In India the leaves are used as fodder and the trees are planted as host trees for lac insects.

Observations

• A small spreading tree, up to 12 m tall.
• Leaves very large, ovate, up to 45 cm × 30 cm.
• Fruit a fig, in short ropes from the branches to the base of the trunk, depressed pear-shaped, 5-9 cm wide, reddish-brown, fragrant; flesh red-purple.

Propagation is easy by marcots.

Selected sources

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2nd ed. 2 Volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.

• Chin, H.F. & Yong, H.S., 1985. Malaysian fruits in colour. 4th reprint of the 1980 ed. Tropical Press SDN. BHD. Kuala Lumpur. 126 pp.

• Corner, E.J.H., 1965. Check-list of Ficus in Asia and Australasia with keys to identification. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 21: 1-186.

• Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd ed. 2 Volumes. The Malaysian Nature Society. United Selangor Press, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.

• Kurz, W.S., 1877. Forest Flora of British Burma. 2 Volumes. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen