Ficus virgata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ficus virgata Reinw. ex Blume

Family: Moraceae

Synonyms

• Ficus decaisneana Miquel,
• Ficus trymatocarpa Miquel (often written: F. trematocarpa),
• Ficus philippinensis Miquel

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: daun ulang-ulang (Moluccas), lumaput (Sulawesi), nunok (Ambon)

• Philippines: diakit (Bisaya), kauis (Igorot), liuliu (Ifugao), balete (Negros), kalapak-kahoi (Tagalog), magulapi (Bagobo).

Distribution

From the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan to Micronesia, the Philippines, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Moluccas, New Guinea, east to the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, south to northern Australia (Queensland).

Uses

On Ambon (Indonesia) young leaves, no older than 3 days, are eaten fresh as an appetizer and to lessen the pungency and bitterness of sauces and thus prevent stomach-ache.

Observations

• Tree up to 10 m tall, often epiphytic.
• Leaves distichous to alternate, coriaceous, glabrous; petiole 1-1.5 cm long; blade elliptical to oblong, 10-20 cm × 4-7 cm, lateral veins 10-12 pairs.
• Inflorescence and infructescence a globular, axillary fig, 1 cm in diameter, solitary or paired, finely scabrid, orange-yellow to red-brown; peduncle and pedicel each up to 5 mm long; perianth lobes 3-4; male flower with 1 stamen; female flower with lateral or subterminal style and dilated stigma.

F. virgata occurs in rain forest at low elevations. Three varieties have been distinguished. It can be propagated by cuttings. Closely related to F. tinctoria G. Forster with similar distribution but with much smaller figs.

Selected sources

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

• Flora of Australia (various editors), 1980- . Vol. 1- . Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, Australia.

• Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlandsch Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd edition, 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch Indië. 1953 pp. (3rd edition, 1950. van Hoeve, 's‑Gravenhage/Bandung, the Netherlands/Indonesia. 1660 pp.).

• Li, Hui‑Lin et al. (Editors), 1975-1979. Flora of Taiwan. 6 volumes. Epoch Publishing Company, Taipei, Taiwan. Second edition (1993- .) edited and published by the Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan (editor-in-chief: Huang Tseng-Chieng).

• Merrill, E.D., 1923-1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 4 volumes. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines. 463, 530, 628, 515 pp. respectively.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen