Ficus aurantiacea (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus aurantiacea Griffith

Protologue: Not. pl. asiat. 4: 394 (1854).

Synonyms

• Ficus callicarpa Miq. (1867),
• Ficus pomifera Kurz (1873),
• Ficus megacarpa Merr. (1904).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: oyod santenan (Javanese)
• Malaysia: akar jalar-jalar, akar pala-pala, tengkok biawak hitam (Peninsular)
• Vietnam: sung cam.

Distribution

From Burma (Myanmar), the Nicobar Islands, Indo-China and Taiwan to Thailand and throughout the Malesian region except for New Guinea.

Uses

In Sabah, leaf shoots are heated slowly over a fire and applied as a poultice on skin itches. In Peninsular Malaysia, the leaves are used to treat fever and toothache. The fruits are sometimes reported to be poisonous.

Observations

• A climber.
• Leaves elliptical to obovate, 4.5-12 cm × 3-7.5 cm, base cuneate, apex rounded to slightly pointed, margin entire, with 3-6 pairs of veins and prominent reticulations below, stipules 3-13 mm long.
• Figs cauliflorous, pear-shaped, 50 mm × 30 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulous, ripening red to black with white spots; male flowers gamophyllous, female flowers with 3-4 tepals.

F. aurantiacea is found in lowland to montane forest, up to 1700 m altitude, also in villages, coconut plantations and other anthropogenic habitats.

Selected sources

• 27. Ahmad, F.B. & Holdsworth, D.K., 1994. Medicinal plants of Sabah, Malaysia. Part II. The Muruts. International Journal of Pharmacognosy 32(4): 378-383.
• 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.
• 284. Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.
• 856. Liao, J. C., 1996. Moraceae. In: Huang, T. C. (Editor): Flora of Taiwan. 2nd Edition. Vol. 2. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 136-195.
• 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