Difference between revisions of "Ficus"

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{{redirect|Fig|the sport federation|Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique}}
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{{SPlantbox
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{{Taxobox
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|familia=Moraceae
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| color = lightgreen
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|genus=Ficus
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| name = ''Ficus''
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|Temp Metric=°F
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| image = Sycomoros old.jpg
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|image=Ficus altissima1.jpg
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| image_width = 240px
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|image_width=180
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| image_caption = ''[[Ficus sycomorus]]''
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|image_caption=Ficus altissima
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Rosales]]
 
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| familia = [[Moraceae]]
 
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| genus = '''''Ficus'''''
 
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| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
 
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| subdivision_ranks = Species
 
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| subdivision =
 
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About 800, including:<br>
 
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''[[Ficus albipila]]'' - Abbey Tree or ''tandiran''<br/>
 
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''[[Ficus altissima]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus americana]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus aurea]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'' - Indian Banyan<br>
 
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''[[Ficus benjamina]]'' - Weeping Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus broadwayi]]''<br>
 
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''[[Common Fig|Ficus carica]]'' - Common Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus citrifolia]]'' - Strangler Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus coronata]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus drupacea]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus elastica]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus erecta]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus glaberrima]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Ficus godeffroyi]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus grenadensis]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus hartii]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus hispita]]'' L.<br>
 
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''[[Ficus laevigata]]'' - ''Jamaican cherry'' <br>
 
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''[[Ficus lyrata]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus macbrideii]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' - Moreton Bay Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus microcarpa]]'' - Chinese Banyan<br>
 
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''[[Ficus nota]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus obtusifolia]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus palmata]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus palmeri]]'' - Rock Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus prolixa]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus pumila]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus racemosa]]''<br>
 
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''[[Sacred Fig|Ficus religiosa]]'' - Sacred Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus rubiginosa]]'' - Port Jackson Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus rumphii]]'' - Rumpf's Fig<br>
 
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''[[Ficus stahlii]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus sycomorus]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus thonningii]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus tinctoria]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus tobagensis]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus triangularis]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus trigonata]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus ulmifolia]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus variegata]]'' Bl. var. chlorocarpa King<br>
 
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''[[Ficus virens]]''<br>
 
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''[[Ficus vogelii]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Ficus wassa]]''
 
 
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'''''Ficus''''' ({{pron-en|ˈfaɪkəs}})<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> is a [[genus]] of about 850 [[species]] of woody [[tree]]s, [[shrub]]s, [[vine]]s, [[epiphyte]]s, and [[hemiepiphyte]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Moraceae]]. Collectively known as '''fig trees''' or '''figs''', they are native throughout the [[tropics]] with a few species extending into the semi-warm [[temperate]] zone. The so-called [[Common Fig]] (''F. carica'') is a temperate species from the Middle East and eastern Europe (mostly Ukraine), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its [[fruit]], also referred to as '''figs'''. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as [[bushfood]]. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of paramount cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.
  
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{{nutritionalvalue | name=Figs, fresh | kJ=310 | protein=0.8 g | fat=0.3 g | carbs=19 g | sugars=16 g | fiber=3 g | source_usda=1 | right=1 }}
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''Ficus'' is a pan-tropical genus of trees, shrubs and vines occupying a wide variety of [[ecological niche]]s; most are evergreen, but some deciduous species are endemic to areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations.<ref name=Halevy1989>Handbook of Flowering Volume 6 of CRC Handbook of Flowering ISBN 9780849339165</ref> Fig species are characterized by their unique [[inflorescence]] and distinctive [[pollination syndrome]], which utilizes wasp species belonging to the [[Agaonidae]] family for pollination.
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{{nutritionalvalue | name=Figs, dried | kJ=1041 | protein=3 g | fat=1 g | carbs=64 g | fiber=10 g | sugars=48 g | glucose=25 g | fructose=23 g | source_usda=1 | right=1 }}
 
  
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'''Ficus''' is a [[genus]] of about 800 species of woody [[tree]]s, [[shrub]]s and [[vine]]s in the family [[Moraceae]], native throughout the [[tropics]] with a few species extending into the warm [[temperate]] zone. The most well known species in the genus is the [[Common Fig]].  [[Image:Bo Tree.jpg|thumb|left|Leaves of the Sacred Fig ''Ficus religiosa'']]
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Some better known species that represent the diversity of the genus include the [[Common Fig]] which is a small temperate deciduous tree whose fingered [[fig leaf]] is well-known in art and [[iconography]]; the [[Weeping Fig]] (''F. benjamina'') a hemi-epiphyte with thin tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its [[rain forest]] habitat; the rough-leaved [[sandpaper fig]]s from [[Australia]];  the [[Creeping Fig]] (''F. pumila''), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls.  
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One species of this genus, the [[Common Fig]] (''F. carica''), produces a commercial [[fruit]] called a ''fig''; the fruit of many other species are edible though not widely consumed. Other examples of figs include the [[banyan]]s and the [[Sacred Fig]] (Peepul or Bo) tree. Most species are [[evergreen]], while some from temperate areas, and areas with a long dry season, are [[deciduous]].
 
  
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==Fruit and pollination==
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{{Inc|
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The fig is commonly thought of as [[fruit]], but it is properly the flower of the fig tree.  It is in fact a ''false fruit'' or [[multiple fruit]], in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. [[Image:Fig.jpg|left|thumb|[[Common Fig]] fruit]]
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Ficus (ancient Latin name). Moraceae. The [[fig]], the [[India rubber plant]], the [[banyan tree]] and the [[creeping fig]] of conservatory walls belong to this vast and natural genus, which has over 600 species scattered through the warmer regions of the world.
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The genus ''Dorstenia'', also in the fig family (Moraceae), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface.  
 
  
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A fig "fruit" is derived from a specially adapted type of ''inflorescence'' (structural arrangement of flowers). What is commonly called the "fruit" of a fig is actually a specialized structure- or accessory fruit- called a '''syconium''': an involuted (nearly closed) receptacle with many small [[flower]]s arranged on the ''inner surface''. Thus the actual flowers of the fig are unseen unless the fig is cut open. In Chinese the fig is called 'fruit without flower'. The syconium often has a bulbous shape with a small opening (the ''ostiole'') at the distal end that allows access by pollinators. The flowers are pollinated by very small wasps that crawl through the opening in search of a suitable place to reproduce (lay eggs). Without this pollinator service fig trees cannot reproduce by seed. In turn, the flowers provide a safe haven and nourishment for the next generation of wasps. Technically, a fig fruit would be one of many mature, seed-bearing flowers found inside one fig.
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Ficus has no near ally of garden value. It is a genus of trees or shrubs, often climbers, with milky juice. In the common fig the lvs. are deeply lobed, but in most of the other species they are entire or else the margin is wavy or has a few teeth or an occasional small lobe. The lvs. are nearly always alternate, F. hispida being the only species of those described below which has opposite lvs. The foliage in Ficus varies from leathery to membranous, and is variable in venation, so the veins are very helpful in telling the species apart. Ficus is monoecious or rarely dioecious, the apetalous or sometimes naked minute fls. being borne inside a hollow more or less closed receptacle ; stamens 1—3, with short and united filaments ; pistillate fls. with 1- celled sessile ovary, ripening into an achene that is buried in the receptacle. What the horticulturist calls the fig, or fruit, is the fleshy receptacle, while the fruit of the botanist is the seed inside. In the following account, fruit is used instead of receptacle.
  
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Most figs come in two sexes: hermaphrodite (called '''caprifigs''' from goats - [[Caprinae]] subfamily; as in fit for eating by goats; sometimes called "inedible") and female (the male flower parts fail to develop; produces the "edible" fig). [[Fig wasp]]s grow in caprifigs but not in the other because the female trees' female flower part is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the fig it grew up in, so figs with developed seeds also contain dead [[fig wasp]]s almost too tiny to see.
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The fertilization or caprification of the [[fig]] is one of the most interesting and complicated chapters in natural history, and is of great practical importance.
  
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When a caprifig ripens, another caprifig must be ready to be pollinated. Tropical figs bear continuously{{Fact|date=July 2007}}, enabling fruit-eating animals to survive the time between [[mast year]]s. In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs, and there are distinct crops. Caprifigs have three crops per year; edible figs have two. The first of the two is small and is called breba; the breba figs are olynths. Some selections of edible figs do not require pollination at all, and will produce a crop of figs (albeit without fertile seeds) in the absence of caprifigs or fig wasps.
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The most important ornamental plant in the genus is the India rubber plant (F. elastica), which ranks amongst the most popular foliage plants for home use indoors. This is not the most important rubber-producing plant, both Hevea brasiliensis and Castilla elastica being producers of more and finer rubber.
  
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[[Image:Ficus pumila Blanco1.203.png|left|thumb|19th century painting of ''Ficus pilosa'']]
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The creeping fig (F. pumila, better known as F. repens or F. stipulata) is one of the commonest and best climbers for covering conservatory walls. It clings close and makes a dense mat of foliage, which is about as dark in color as the English ivy. The plant has been cultivated since 1771, but within the last half-century has come to be recognized as the best plant for its special purpose. Once in a long while it fruits in conservatories, and the fruiting branches arc very unlike the barren ones. They stand out from the conservatory wall instead of lying flat and close. The leaves of the barren branches are less than an inch long and heart-shaped, with one side longer than the other at the base and a very short petiole; the leaves of fruiting branches are 2 to 3 inches long, elliptic-oblong, narrowed at the base, and with a petiole sometimes ½ inch long.
  
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There is typically only one species of wasp capable of fertilizing the flowers of each species of fig, and therefore plantings of fig species outside of their native range results in effectively sterile individuals. For example, in [[Hawaii]], some 60 species of figs have been introduced, but only four of the wasps that fertilize them have been introduced, so only four species of figs produce viable seeds there.
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Among the many wonders of the genus Ficus are the epiphytal habit of some, the huge spread of the banyan tree (F. benghalensis), and the fact that some species ripen their fruits under ground. Some of the tallest tropical trees are members of this genus, and often they begin life by climbing upon other trees. The ficus often overtops and outlives the other tree, which may be seen in every stage of decay, or may have entirely disappeared, leaving the giant climber twined spirally around a great hollow cylinder. The banyan tree sends down some of its branches (or aerial roots) into the soil, these take root, make new trunks, and eventually produce a great forest, in which it is impossible to tell the original trunk. The banyan in the botanic gardens at Calcutta sprang from a seed probably dropped by a passing bird into the crown of a date palm a little more than a century ago. The main trunk not many years ago, was 42 feet in circumference, with 232 additional trunks, many of them 8 to 10 feet in circumference, and the branches extend over an area 850 feet in circumference, forming a dense evergreen canopy through which sunlight never penetrates. The banyan under which Alexander camped, and which is said to have sheltered 7,000 men, now measures 2,000 ft. in circumference and has 3,000 trunks. Other species have the same method of propagation, but F. benghalensis is the most famous.
  
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The various species are cultivated both indoors northward and as shade and fruit trees in Florida and California. In this country the most important commercially is the fig, Ficus carica, now widely grown in California.
  
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==Propagation==
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The cultivation of Ficus elastica.
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Figs are also easily propagated from cuttings. An extraordinarily large self-rooted Wild Willowleaf Fig in [[South Africa]] is protected by the [[Wonderboom Nature Reserve]].
 
  
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==Historical significance==
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The rubber plant (Ficus elastica) which is known all over this country, is perhaps the most popular and satisfactory house plant that has ever been cultivated. It Is a plant for the million. Some florists have several houses especially devoted to the [[propagation]] and cultivation of this tough and thrifty plant. There are several varieties of the rubber plant, but the true Ficus elastica is the best, both for growing and for selling. It can be easily told from the smaller-leaved variety, which is smaller and lighter colored in all its parts, the stem being smoother, and the sheath that covers the young leaves lacking the brown tint, which often runs into a bright Indian red.
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In June 2006, it was reported that figs dating back 11,400 years were discovered at [[Gilgal I]], a village in the Lower [[Jordan Valley]], just 8 miles north of ancient [[Jericho]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} There is evidence that figs were among the first [[cultivation|cultivated]] crop, because they were of a [[mutation]] which could not reproduce normally. It is proposed that they may have been planted and cultivated intentionally, one thousand years before the next crops were domesticated ([[wheat]] and [[rye]]).
 
  
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The phallic shape of the young fig is referred to in [[Song of Songs]] chapter 2 verse 13. The fig tree is sacred to [[Dionysus]] Sukites (Συκίτης).
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The method of propagating now popular in America employs old bushy stock-plants, either in pots or tubs, or planted out into a bed where the night temperature can be kept from 60° to 75° F. As soon as the young shoots are 5 to 6 inches long they are operated upon. An incision is made at the place where it is intended to root the young plant, cutting upward on a slant midway between two eyes, making the cut anywhere from 1 to 2 inches long, according to the thickness and length of the young shoot or branch. A small wedge, as a piece of match, is then inserted to keep the cut open. A large handful of clean, damp, well-prepared moss is then placed around the branch to cover the cut and is tied moderately firm with twine or raffia. Some use a small piece of charcoal for a wedge in the cut; others coat the two cuts with a mixture of charcoal dust and lime. The latter practice is beneficial in that it expedites the callusing of the cuts and the rooting of the young plant after being cut and mossed. The moss should be kept constantly moist, and the higher the temperature, within reasonable limits, the quicker the rooting process goes on. The roots of the young plant usually appear on the outside of the oval-shaped bunch of moss. A complete cut can then be made below the moss and the young plant potted. The smaller the pot at first the better. The leaves of the young plants should be tied up in order that they may not be injured by coming in contact with one another or by lying flat on the pots. The young plants now require a gentle bottom heat and frequent syringing,—a dozen times on clear days. As soon as the young plants are taken from the stock-plant, a little wax should be put on the end of the cut to prevent the milky sap from escaping. The best time of the year to propagate and root ficus is from the first of January to May.' The European growers never start much before the Christmas holidays; and ' from then until spring they make all their cuttings.
  
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Figs were also a common foodsource for the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. [[Cato the Elder]], in his ''[[De Agri Cultura]]'', lists several strains of figs grown at the time he wrote his handbook: the Mariscan, African, Herculanean, Saguntine, and the black Tellanian (''De agri cultura'', ch. 8).
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The older method of propagating rubber plants is still the favorite one abroad; it employs single-eye cuttings. Sometimes, if the branches are very thick, only one-half the stem is taken with the eye and a single leaf, the leaf being curled up and tied with raffia, and the small piece with the eye set into the propagating-bed. This is a bed of sharp sand, or sometimes of sand and chopped sphagnum moss or fine cocoa-fiber. Frequently the single- eye cuttings are put at once into the smallest-sized thumb-pot,; with a mixture of very finely ground potsherd and charcoal filling about one- half the pot, and either soil or sand for the remainder. A small stick is used to hold the leaf upright. These pots are plunged into the propagating-benches in either sand, moss or fiber, and a steady bottom heat of 75° to 80° is applied and kept up until the plants are rooted. As a rule, such beds are inclosed in a glasshouse, in order to keep about them a close, warm and moist atmosphere. Only ventilation enough to permit the moisture caused by the evaporation to escape is allowed on these beds. In this country, propagation by the first described method can be continued nearly all the year round. From experience of both methods, the writer can say that the top-cutting and mossing process is better by far, especially where plenty of stock plants can be maintained.
  
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==Figs and health==
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After being shifted from the smaller-sized pots into 3- or 4-inch pots, the young plants will stand a great deal of liquid manure as soon as they are rooted through or become somewhat pot-bound. Many propagators plant out the young plants from 3- and 4-inch pots into coldframes after the middle of May, or when all danger of night frost is past. They do very well in the bright, hot, open sun, but must receive plenty of water. After being planted out in frames, they should be potted not later than September, and for early marketing as early as August. The plan of planting out and potting in the later part of summer or early autumn is a very practicable one, as the plants do not suffer so much from the severe heat during the summer.
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[[Image:DriedFigs1.JPG|thumb|left|Dried figs]]
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{{SCH}}
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Figs are good source of [[flavonoid]]s and [[polyphenol]]s<ref> Functional food properties of figs [http://www.aaccnet.org/funcfood/pdfs/99-0122-01f.pdf] </ref>. Figs and other [[dried fruit]] were measured for their [[antioxidant]] content. A 40 gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity <ref>
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}}
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Dried fruits: excellent in vitro and in vivo antioxidants[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15670984&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum] </ref>. Figs also have higher quantities of fiber than any other dried or fresh fruit.
 
  
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==See also==
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==Cultivation==
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* [[List of fruits]]
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{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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* [[Moreton Bay Fig]]
 
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* [[Fig Newton]]
 
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* [[Miracles of Jesus#Controlling Nature|Miracles of Jesus]] &ndash; the Cursing of [[The Fig Tree]]
 
  
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==External links==
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===Propagation===
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* [http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/index.htm Figweb] Major reference site for the genus ''Ficus''
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{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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* [http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/Video/index.htm Video: Interaction of figs and fig wasps] Multi-award-winning documentary
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* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Fig]
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===Pests and diseases===
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* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Fig Fruit Facts]
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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* [http://www.nafex.org/figs.htm North American Fruit Explorers: Fig]
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* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5038116.stm BBC: Fig fossil clue to early farming]
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==Species==
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[[File:Ficus abutilifolius MS 10385.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus altissima1.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus altissima]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus aspera 3.jpg|thumb|right|Figs of a [[variegated]] ''[[Ficus aspera]]'']]
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[[File:Starr 020227-0070 Ficus triangularis.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mistletoe Fig]], ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus erecta5.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus erecta]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus ilicina.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus ilicina]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus lutea 0005.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus lutea]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus drupacea (Mysore Fig) in Bhongir fort, AP W IMG 2955.jpg|thumb|''[[Ficus mollis]]'' ]]
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[[File:Ficus mauritiana.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Ficus mauritiana]]'']]
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[[File:Starr 010820-0015 Ficus pseudopalma.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus pseudopalma]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus variegata.JPG|thumb|right|''[[Ficus variegata]]'' in [[Mong Kok]], Hong Kong.]]
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[[File:Ficus obliqua - Border Ranges National Park.jpg|thumb|right|Giant ''[[Ficus obliqua]]'', [[Border Ranges National Park]], [[Australia]].]]
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[[File:Figi Ficus roxoburghi.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Ficus auriculata]]'']]
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[[File:Ficus fig-fruit-on-trunk.jpg|thumb|right|Fruits on the trunk of a ''Ficus'' in [[India]]]]
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About 800, including:
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* ''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small> (= ''F. soldanella'' <small>Warb.</small>)
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* ''[[Ficus adhatodifolia]]'' <small>Schott</small>
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* ''[[Ficus aguaraguensis]]''
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* ''[[Ficus albert-smithii]]''
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* ''[[Ficus albipila]]'' — [[Abbey Tree]], [[Phueng Tree]], ''[[tandiran]]''
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* ''[[Ficus altissima]]''
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* ''[[Ficus amazonica]]''
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* ''[[Ficus americana]]''
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* ''[[Ficus andamanica]]''
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* ''[[Ficus angladei]]''
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* ''[[Ficus apollinaris]]'' <small>Dugand</small> (= ''F. petenensis'' <small>Lundell</small>)
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* ''[[Ficus aripuanensis]]''
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* ''[[Ficus arpazusa]]''<ref>Brazil. Described by Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.38–39</ref>
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* ''[[Ficus aspera]]''
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** ''Ficus aspera'' var. ''parcelli''
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* ''[[Ficus aurea]]'' — [[Florida Strangler Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus auriculata]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}<!-- = F. roxburghii? --> — [[Roxburgh Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus barbata]]'' — [[Bearded Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus battieri]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}
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* ''[[Ficus beddomei]]'' — [[Thavital]]
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* ''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'' — [[Indian Banyan]], Bengal Fig, East Indian Fig, ''borh'' ([[Pakistan]]), ''vad/vat/wad'', ''nyagrodha'', "[[indian fig]]"
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* ''[[Ficus benjamina]]'' — [[Weeping Fig]], Benjamin's Fig
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* ''[[Ficus bibracteata]]''
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* ''[[Ficus bizanae]]''
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* ''[[Ficus blepharophylla]]''
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* ''[[Ficus bojeri]]''
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* ''[[Ficus broadwayi]]''
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* ''[[Ficus bubu]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus burtt-davyi]]'' <small>Hutch.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus calyptroceras]]''
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* ''[[Ficus capreifolia]]'' <small>Del.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus carchiana]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
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* ''[[Ficus carica]]'' — [[Common Fig]], ''anjeer'' (Iran, Pakistan), ''dumur'' ([[Bengali language|Bengali]])
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* ''[[Ficus castellviana]]''
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* ''[[Ficus catappifolia]]''
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* ''[[Ficus citrifolia]]'' — [[Short-leaved Fig]], Wild Banyantree
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* ''[[Ficus clusiifolia]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
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* ''[[Ficus congesta]]''
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* ''[[Ficus cordata]]'' <small>Thunb.</small>
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** ''Ficus cordata'' ssp. ''salicifolia'' <small>(Vahl) Berg</small>
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* ''[[Ficus coronata]]'' — [[Creek Sandpaper Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus costaricana]]'' <small>(Liebm.) Miq.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus cotinifolia]]''
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* ''[[Ficus crassipes]]'' — [[Round-leaved Banana Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus crassiuscula]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus craterostoma]]'' <small>Warb. ex Mildbr. & Burr.</small>
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* ''[[Ficus cristobalensis]]''
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* ''[[Ficus cyclophylla]]''
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* ''[[Ficus dammaropsis]]'' — [[Highland Breadfruit]], ''kapiak'' ([[Tok Pisin]])
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* ''[[Ficus dendrocida]]''
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* ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]'' — [[Mistletoe Fig]]
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* ''[[Ficus destruens]]''
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* ''[[Ficus drupacea]]''
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* ''[[Ficus ecuadorensis]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
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* ''[[Ficus elastica]]'' — [[Indian Rubber Plant]], Rubber Fig, "[[rubber tree]]", "[[rubber plant]]"
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** ''Ficus elastica'' cv. 'Decora'
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** ''Ficus elastica'' var. ''variegata''
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* ''[[Ficus elasticoides]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}
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* ''[[Ficus elliotiana]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
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* ''[[Ficus enormis]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
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* ''[[Ficus erecta]]'' — Japanese fig, イヌビワ
 +
* ''[[Ficus faulkneriana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus fischeri]]'' <small>Warb. ex Mildbr. & Burr.</small> (= ''F. kiloneura'' <small>Hornby</small>)
 +
* ''[[Ficus fistulosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus fraseri]]'' — [[Shiny Sandpaper Fig]], White Sandpaper Fig, "[[figwood]]", "[[watery fig]]"
 +
* ''[[Ficus fulvo-pilosa]]'' <small>Summerh.</small><!-- Micronesica40:169. -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus gardneriana]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus gibbosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus gigantosyce]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus gilletii]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus glabra]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus glaberrima]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus glumosa]]'' <small>(Miq.) Del.</small> (=''F. sonderi'' <small>Miq.</small>)
 +
* ''[[Ficus godeffroyi]]'' (endemic to [[Samoa]], known as ''Mati''.)
 +
* ''[[Ficus gomelleira]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus greenwoodii]]'' <small>Summerh.</small><!-- Micronesica40:169. -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus greiffiana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus grenadensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus grossularioides]]'' — [[White-leaved Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus guajavoides]]'' <small>Lundell</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus guaranitica]]''<ref>Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina: Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.64–66</ref>
 +
* ''[[Ficus guianensis]]''<ref>Brazil: Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.67–69</ref>
 +
* ''[[Ficus hartii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus hebetifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus hederacea]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus heterophylla]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus hirsuta]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus hirta]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus hispida]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus hispita]]'' <small>L.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus ilicina]]'' <small>(Sond.) Miq.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus illiberalis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus insipida]]''
 +
** ''Ficus insipida'' ssp. ''insipida''
 +
** ''Ficus insipida'' ssp. ''scabra''
 +
* ''[[Ficus kerkhovenii]] — Johore Fig <ref>[http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/heritage/changi/changitrees/index.html Changitrees]</ref>
 +
* ''[[Ficus luschnathiana]]'' <small>([[Miq.]]) [[Miq.]]</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus infectoria]]'' — [[Wavy-leaved Fig]], ''[[plaksa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus ingens]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus krukovii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus lacor]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus lacunata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus laevigata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus laevis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus lapathifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus lateriflora]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus lauretana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus loxensis]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus lutea]]'' <small>Vahl</small> (= ''F. vogelii'', ''F. nekbudu'', ''F. quibeba'' <small>Welw. ex Fical.</small>)
 +
* ''[[Ficus lyrata]]'' — [[Fiddle-leaved Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus macbridei]]''{{Verify source|date=November 2008}} <small>Standl.</small><!-- "macbrideii"? -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus maclellandii]]'' — Alii Fig or Banana-Leaf Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus macrocarpa]]''{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- = F. retusa? -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' — [[Moreton Bay Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus magnifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus malacocarpa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus mariae]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus masonii]]'' <small>Horne ex Baker</small><!-- Micronesica40:169. -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus mathewsii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus matiziana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus mauritiana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus maxima]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus maximoides]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus meizonochlamys]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus mexiae]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus microcarpa]]'' — [[Chinese Banyan]], Malayan Banyan, Curtain Fig, "[[Indian laurel]]"
 +
** ''Ficus microcarpa'' var. ''hillii'' — Hill's Fig
 +
** ''Ficus microcarpa'' var. ''nitida'' — often considered a [[subspecies]] of ''F. retusa'' or a distinct species
 +
* ''[[Ficus microchlamys]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus minahasae]]'' — ''[[longusei]]'' ([[Sulawesi]]{{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- perhaps generally Indonesian -->)
 +
* ''[[Ficus mollior]]'' <small>F.Muell. ex [[George Bentham|Benth.]]</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus monckii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus montana]]'' — Oakleaf Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus muelleri]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus muelleriana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus mutabilis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus mutisii]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus mysorensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus natalensis]]'' <small>Hochst.</small> — ''[[mutuba]]'' ([[Luganda]])
 +
** ''Ficus natalensis'' ssp. ''leprieurii''
 +
** ''Ficus natalensis'' ssp. ''natalensis''
 +
* ''[[Ficus neriifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus nervosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus noronhae]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus nota]]'' — ''[[tibig]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus nymphaeifolia]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus oapana]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus obliqua]]'' — [[Small-leaved Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus obtusifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus obtusiuscula]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus opposita]]'' — [[Sweet Sandpaper Fig]], Sweet Fig, "[[figwood]]", "[[watery fig]]"
 +
* ''[[Ficus organensis]]'' <small>([[Miq.]]) [[Miq.]]</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus padifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pakkensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pallida]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus palmata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pandurata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pantoniana]]'' — [[Climbing Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus panurensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pertusa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus petiolaris]]'' (= ''F. palmeri'')
 +
* ''[[Ficus pilosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus piresiana]]'' <small>Vázq.Avila & C.C.Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus platypoda]]'' — [[Desert Fig]], Rock Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus pleurocarpa]]'' — [[Banana Fig]], Gabi Fig, Karpe Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus polita]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
 +
** ''Ficus polita'' ssp. ''polita''
 +
* ''[[Ficus prolixa]]'' <small>G.Forst.</small> (= ''F. mariannensis'' <small>Merr.</small>)<!-- Micronesica40:169. -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus pseudopalma]]'' <small>Blanco</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus pulchella]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus pumila]]'' — [[Creeping Fig]]
 +
** [[Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang|''Ficus pumila'' var. ''awkeotsang'']]
 +
* ''[[Ficus pyriformis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus racemosa]]'' — [[Cluster Fig]], Goolar Fig, ''udumbara'' ([[Sanskrit]]), ''umbar'' (India)
 +
* ''[[Ficus ramiflora]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus religiosa]]'' — [[Sacred Fig]], ''arali'', ''bo, pipal, pippala, pimpal'' (etc.), ''pou'' ([[Cambodia]]), ''[[Ashvastha]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus retusa]]'' — [[Taiwan Fig]], Ginseng Fig, "[[Indian laurel]]", "Cuban-laurel"
 +
* ''[[Ficus rieberiana]]'' <small>C.C.Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus roraimensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus roxburghii]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}<!-- = F. auriculata? -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus rubiginosa]]'' — [[Port Jackson Fig]], Little-leaved Fig, Rusty Fig, ''damun'' ([[Sydney Language]])
 +
* ''[[Ficus rumphii]]'' <small>Blume</small> — [[Rumpf's Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus salicifolia]]'' <small>Vahl</small> (= ''F. pretoriae'' <small>Burtt Davy</small>) — [[Willow-leaved Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus salzmanniana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus sansibarica]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus sarmentosa]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus saussureana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus scabra]]'' <small>G.Forst.</small><!-- Micronesica40:169. -->
 +
* ''[[Ficus schippii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus schultesii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus schumacheri]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus septica Burm. F. var. septica Moraceae]]'' — ''Hauli Tree'' in [[Philippines]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus sphenophylla]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus stahlii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus stuhlmannii]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus subpuberula]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus superba]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus superba var. henneana]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus sur]]'' <small>Forssk.</small> (= ''F. capensis'')
 +
* ''[[Ficus sycomorus]]'' — [[Sycamore Fig]], Fig-mulberry
 +
** ''Ficus sycomorus'' ssp. ''sycomorus''
 +
** ''Ficus sycomorus'' ssp. ''gnaphalocarpa'' <small>(Miq.) C.C. Berg</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus tettensis]]'' <small>Hutch.</small> (= ''F. smutsii'' <small>Verdoorn</small>)
 +
* ''[[Ficus thonningii]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus tinctoria]]'' — [[Dye Fig]], Humped Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus tobagensis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus tomentella]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus tomentosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus tonduzii]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus tremula]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
 +
** ''Ficus tremula'' ssp. ''tremula''
 +
* ''[[Ficus triangularis]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus trichopoda]]'' <small>Bak.</small> (= ''F. hippopotami'' <small>Gerstn.</small>)
 +
* ''[[Ficus trigona]]'' <small>[[L.f.]]</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus trigonata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus triradiata]]'' — [[Red-stipule Fig]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus ulmifolia]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus umbellata]]''{{Verify source|date=January 2009}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus ursina]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus variegata]]'' <small>Bl.</small>
 +
** ''Ficus variegata'' var. ''chlorocarpa'' <small>King</small>
 +
* ''[[Ficus variolosa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus velutina]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus verruculosa]]'' Warb.
 +
* ''[[Ficus virens]]'' — [[White Fig]], ''pilkhan'', ''an-borndi'' ([[Gun-djeihmi]])
 +
* ''[[Ficus virens var. sublanceolata]]'' White Fig, [[New South Wales]]
 +
* ''[[Ficus virgata]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus wassa]]''
 +
* ''[[Ficus watkinsiana]]'' — [[Watkins' Fig]], Nipple Fig, Green-leaved Moreton Bay Fig
 +
* ''[[Ficus yoponensis]]'' <small>Desv.</small>
 +
 
 +
{{Inc|
 +
F. afzelii, Don. is a plant from S. Afr., never described by Don. The plant in the trade is said to be F. eriobotroidea. Once advertised for indoor ornament.—F. carnosa, Hort. Advertised 1895 for indoors.—F. chauvierii, Hort. In Eu. this is said to be second only to F. elastica. Franceschi says it has broader and more oval lvs., large red figs, not edible, and comes from New Caledonia, where it attains  60 ft. J. D. Eisele says that it has oval lvs. with creamy white veins, is strong-growing, and should be valuable for subtropical gardening. The name is unknown in botanical literature. A plant cult, at N. Y. Bot. Card, as this species has orange fr.—F. cooperi, Hort., is cult, indoors from Trop. Amer. Advertised 1895. The name is unknown in botanical literature. G. 1:757.—F. dryepondtia, Hort., is a striking shrub with long-stalked lvs. that are silvery green above and dark purple beneath. Probably not a Ficus. R. B. 32, p. 85. Said to be a native of Afr.—F. cetveldiana, Hort., is a species "with large broadly oval lvs. and with the veins and nerves colored," something as in Caladium. The name is unknown in botanical literature. G.C. III. 28:303.—P. eriobotroides, Kunth & Bouche. Habitat unknown. See F. Afzelii.—F. falcate, Miq., is cult, but not advertised. A creeper, with lvs. often of 2 forms, leathery, tesselately dotted and colored beneath. It is a form of F. punctata, with lvs. oblong or subrhomboid, obtuse, not tapering below. India.—F. lucianii, Hort., "has large lvs." Intro. 1900. Otherwise unknown.—F. lucida. Dry. From India, but not described in Flora of British India. Advertised 1893 for indoors.—-F. maculata. Linn., described by Franceschi (1914) as with lvs. "large, oval, light green, not glossy. Cochin-China." must be some other plant than the true F. maculata, which is a serrate-lvd. fig from Santo Domingo.—F. nemoralis. Wall., is a "small tree or bush" with smooth, petioled lvs. which are 3-nerved and dark-colored beneath: fr. smooth axillary, about ½in. diam. India. K. 206, 207.—There are many forms.—F. princeps, Kunth & Bouche. Brazil. Cult, by Franceschi, who says it grows 60 ft. high and has magnificent foliage, which is bronze and copper-colored when young.—F. pyrifolia may be F. benjamina, F. erecta, F. fontanesii, or F. rubra. The name is advertised by Yokohama Nursery Co.. who also advertise F. erecta.—F. rugosa is a trade name for some fig as yet undeterminable. The true F. rugosa, Don, is perhaps a Trap. African species, but was not characterized by Don, and the status of the name is uncertain.
  
−
==References==
+
—F. sycomorus. Linn. (Sycomorus antiquorum, Gasp.), is a tree with peti- oled, ovate, entire 8-10-ribbed lvs. which are deciduous for some months each year: flu. greenish or yellowish in pedunculate racemes: fr. small but abundant, extensively used for food: it is a branching tree 30-40 ft. high, the lvs. smaller than those of the fig, more or lens angular or even lobed. Egypt and Syria; the sycamore of the Bible; Pharaoh's fig. Intro, in U. S.. but not in the trade.— F. vasta, Hort.=F. populifolia, an Abyssinian species not in cult. —F. wendlandii has lvs. "10-12 in. long by 8-10 in. wide, of a dark green color, and light green ribs and veins." Its habitat and fr. are unknown.—F. wrightii, Benth., a creeping or climbing fig not cult, in Amer. outside of fanciers' collections: lvs. 3-4 in. long, wedge-shaped, 3-nerved. Probably=F. foveolata, Wall. China.
−
<div class="references-small">
+
{{SCH}}
−
<references/>
+
}}
−
</div>
 
−
{{Commonscat|Ficus}}
 
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
−
<gallery>  
+
{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
 +
 
 +
<gallery>
 
Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|Ficus variegata in Mongkok, Hong Kong.
 
Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|Ficus variegata in Mongkok, Hong Kong.
 +
File:Ficus abutilifolius MS 10385.jpg|''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]''
 +
Image:Ficus altissima1.jpg|''[[Ficus altissima]]''
 +
Image:Ficus aspera 3.jpg|Figs of a [[variegated]] ''[[Ficus aspera]]''
 +
Image:Starr_020227-0070_Ficus_triangularis.jpg|[[Mistletoe Fig]], ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]''
 +
Image:Ficus erecta5.jpg|''[[Ficus erecta]]''
 +
Image:Ficus ilicina.jpg|''[[Ficus ilicina]]''
 +
Image:Ficus lutea 0005.jpg|''[[Ficus lutea]]''
 +
File:Ficus drupacea (Mysore Fig) in Bhongir fort, AP W IMG_2955.jpg|''[[Ficus mollis]]''
 +
Image:Ficus mauritiana.JPG|''[[Ficus mauritiana]]''
 +
Image:Starr_010820-0015_Ficus_pseudopalma.jpg|''[[Ficus pseudopalma]]''
 +
Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|''[[Ficus variegata]]''
 +
Image:Ficus obliqua - Border Ranges National Park.jpg|Giant ''[[Ficus obliqua]]''.
 +
Image:Figi_Ficus_roxoburghi.jpg|''[[Ficus auriculata]]''
 +
Image:Ficus fig-fruit-on-trunk.jpg|Fruits on the trunk of a ''Ficus'' in [[India]]
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
 +
 +
==External links==
 +
*{{wplink}}
  
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[[Category:Accessory fruit]]
+
__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Moraceae]]
 
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[[Category:Fruits of Iran]]
 
−
[[Category:Plant morphology]]
 
−
[[Category:Fruit]]
 

Latest revision as of 17:29, 20 July 2010


Ficus altissima


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Moraceae >

Ficus >


Ficus (pronounced /ˈfaɪkəs/)[1] is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The so-called Common Fig (F. carica) is a temperate species from the Middle East and eastern Europe (mostly Ukraine), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of paramount cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

Ficus is a pan-tropical genus of trees, shrubs and vines occupying a wide variety of ecological niches; most are evergreen, but some deciduous species are endemic to areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations.[2] Fig species are characterized by their unique inflorescence and distinctive pollination syndrome, which utilizes wasp species belonging to the Agaonidae family for pollination.

Some better known species that represent the diversity of the genus include the Common Fig which is a small temperate deciduous tree whose fingered fig leaf is well-known in art and iconography; the Weeping Fig (F. benjamina) a hemi-epiphyte with thin tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its rain forest habitat; the rough-leaved sandpaper figs from Australia; the Creeping Fig (F. pumila), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls.


Read about Ficus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Ficus (ancient Latin name). Moraceae. The fig, the India rubber plant, the banyan tree and the creeping fig of conservatory walls belong to this vast and natural genus, which has over 600 species scattered through the warmer regions of the world.

Ficus has no near ally of garden value. It is a genus of trees or shrubs, often climbers, with milky juice. In the common fig the lvs. are deeply lobed, but in most of the other species they are entire or else the margin is wavy or has a few teeth or an occasional small lobe. The lvs. are nearly always alternate, F. hispida being the only species of those described below which has opposite lvs. The foliage in Ficus varies from leathery to membranous, and is variable in venation, so the veins are very helpful in telling the species apart. Ficus is monoecious or rarely dioecious, the apetalous or sometimes naked minute fls. being borne inside a hollow more or less closed receptacle ; stamens 1—3, with short and united filaments ; pistillate fls. with 1- celled sessile ovary, ripening into an achene that is buried in the receptacle. What the horticulturist calls the fig, or fruit, is the fleshy receptacle, while the fruit of the botanist is the seed inside. In the following account, fruit is used instead of receptacle.

The fertilization or caprification of the fig is one of the most interesting and complicated chapters in natural history, and is of great practical importance.

The most important ornamental plant in the genus is the India rubber plant (F. elastica), which ranks amongst the most popular foliage plants for home use indoors. This is not the most important rubber-producing plant, both Hevea brasiliensis and Castilla elastica being producers of more and finer rubber.

The creeping fig (F. pumila, better known as F. repens or F. stipulata) is one of the commonest and best climbers for covering conservatory walls. It clings close and makes a dense mat of foliage, which is about as dark in color as the English ivy. The plant has been cultivated since 1771, but within the last half-century has come to be recognized as the best plant for its special purpose. Once in a long while it fruits in conservatories, and the fruiting branches arc very unlike the barren ones. They stand out from the conservatory wall instead of lying flat and close. The leaves of the barren branches are less than an inch long and heart-shaped, with one side longer than the other at the base and a very short petiole; the leaves of fruiting branches are 2 to 3 inches long, elliptic-oblong, narrowed at the base, and with a petiole sometimes ½ inch long.

Among the many wonders of the genus Ficus are the epiphytal habit of some, the huge spread of the banyan tree (F. benghalensis), and the fact that some species ripen their fruits under ground. Some of the tallest tropical trees are members of this genus, and often they begin life by climbing upon other trees. The ficus often overtops and outlives the other tree, which may be seen in every stage of decay, or may have entirely disappeared, leaving the giant climber twined spirally around a great hollow cylinder. The banyan tree sends down some of its branches (or aerial roots) into the soil, these take root, make new trunks, and eventually produce a great forest, in which it is impossible to tell the original trunk. The banyan in the botanic gardens at Calcutta sprang from a seed probably dropped by a passing bird into the crown of a date palm a little more than a century ago. The main trunk not many years ago, was 42 feet in circumference, with 232 additional trunks, many of them 8 to 10 feet in circumference, and the branches extend over an area 850 feet in circumference, forming a dense evergreen canopy through which sunlight never penetrates. The banyan under which Alexander camped, and which is said to have sheltered 7,000 men, now measures 2,000 ft. in circumference and has 3,000 trunks. Other species have the same method of propagation, but F. benghalensis is the most famous.

The various species are cultivated both indoors northward and as shade and fruit trees in Florida and California. In this country the most important commercially is the fig, Ficus carica, now widely grown in California.

The cultivation of Ficus elastica.

The rubber plant (Ficus elastica) which is known all over this country, is perhaps the most popular and satisfactory house plant that has ever been cultivated. It Is a plant for the million. Some florists have several houses especially devoted to the propagation and cultivation of this tough and thrifty plant. There are several varieties of the rubber plant, but the true Ficus elastica is the best, both for growing and for selling. It can be easily told from the smaller-leaved variety, which is smaller and lighter colored in all its parts, the stem being smoother, and the sheath that covers the young leaves lacking the brown tint, which often runs into a bright Indian red.

The method of propagating now popular in America employs old bushy stock-plants, either in pots or tubs, or planted out into a bed where the night temperature can be kept from 60° to 75° F. As soon as the young shoots are 5 to 6 inches long they are operated upon. An incision is made at the place where it is intended to root the young plant, cutting upward on a slant midway between two eyes, making the cut anywhere from 1 to 2 inches long, according to the thickness and length of the young shoot or branch. A small wedge, as a piece of match, is then inserted to keep the cut open. A large handful of clean, damp, well-prepared moss is then placed around the branch to cover the cut and is tied moderately firm with twine or raffia. Some use a small piece of charcoal for a wedge in the cut; others coat the two cuts with a mixture of charcoal dust and lime. The latter practice is beneficial in that it expedites the callusing of the cuts and the rooting of the young plant after being cut and mossed. The moss should be kept constantly moist, and the higher the temperature, within reasonable limits, the quicker the rooting process goes on. The roots of the young plant usually appear on the outside of the oval-shaped bunch of moss. A complete cut can then be made below the moss and the young plant potted. The smaller the pot at first the better. The leaves of the young plants should be tied up in order that they may not be injured by coming in contact with one another or by lying flat on the pots. The young plants now require a gentle bottom heat and frequent syringing,—a dozen times on clear days. As soon as the young plants are taken from the stock-plant, a little wax should be put on the end of the cut to prevent the milky sap from escaping. The best time of the year to propagate and root ficus is from the first of January to May.' The European growers never start much before the Christmas holidays; and ' from then until spring they make all their cuttings.

The older method of propagating rubber plants is still the favorite one abroad; it employs single-eye cuttings. Sometimes, if the branches are very thick, only one-half the stem is taken with the eye and a single leaf, the leaf being curled up and tied with raffia, and the small piece with the eye set into the propagating-bed. This is a bed of sharp sand, or sometimes of sand and chopped sphagnum moss or fine cocoa-fiber. Frequently the single- eye cuttings are put at once into the smallest-sized thumb-pot,; with a mixture of very finely ground potsherd and charcoal filling about one- half the pot, and either soil or sand for the remainder. A small stick is used to hold the leaf upright. These pots are plunged into the propagating-benches in either sand, moss or fiber, and a steady bottom heat of 75° to 80° is applied and kept up until the plants are rooted. As a rule, such beds are inclosed in a glasshouse, in order to keep about them a close, warm and moist atmosphere. Only ventilation enough to permit the moisture caused by the evaporation to escape is allowed on these beds. In this country, propagation by the first described method can be continued nearly all the year round. From experience of both methods, the writer can say that the top-cutting and mossing process is better by far, especially where plenty of stock plants can be maintained.

After being shifted from the smaller-sized pots into 3- or 4-inch pots, the young plants will stand a great deal of liquid manure as soon as they are rooted through or become somewhat pot-bound. Many propagators plant out the young plants from 3- and 4-inch pots into coldframes after the middle of May, or when all danger of night frost is past. They do very well in the bright, hot, open sun, but must receive plenty of water. After being planted out in frames, they should be potted not later than September, and for early marketing as early as August. The plan of planting out and potting in the later part of summer or early autumn is a very practicable one, as the plants do not suffer so much from the severe heat during the summer. CH


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Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

Ficus abutilifolia
Ficus altissima
Figs of a variegated Ficus aspera
Mistletoe Fig, Ficus deltoidea
Ficus erecta
Ficus ilicina
Ficus lutea
Ficus mollis
Ficus mauritiana
Ficus pseudopalma
Ficus variegata in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
Giant Ficus obliqua, Border Ranges National Park, Australia.
Ficus auriculata
Fruits on the trunk of a Ficus in India

About 800, including:


Read about Ficus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

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References

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  1. ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. ↑ Handbook of Flowering Volume 6 of CRC Handbook of Flowering ISBN 9780849339165
  3. ↑ Brazil. Described by Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.38–39
  4. ↑ Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina: Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.64–66
  5. ↑ Brazil: Carauta & Diaz (2002): pp.67–69
  6. ↑ Changitrees
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