Difference between revisions of "Ficus"

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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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''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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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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{{Inc|
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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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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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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 (Fig. 1500). In the following account, fruit is used instead of receptacle.
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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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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. See Fig, where the culture of F. carica is discussed.
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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.
  
 
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 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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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 (Fig. 1501).
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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.
  
 
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.
 
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. For the botanical treatment of this difficult genus recourse has been had to King's "The species of the Indo-Malayan and Chinese countries" in Ann. Bot. Card. Calcutta 1:185 pp. +232 plates, 1888, and wherever possible below reference is made to the splendid illustrations of that work, thus, K. 130.= King, plate 130. For the African species the recent treatment of Mildbraed and Burret on Die afrikanischen Arten der Gattung Ficus. Engler's Bot. Jahrb. 46:163-269 (1911), has been consulted.
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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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The cultivation of Ficus elastica. (H. A. Siebrecht.)
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The cultivation of Ficus elastica.
  
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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 also thousands upon thousands of young plants or rooted cuttings from thumb-pots imported into this country, especially from Belgium and Holland, for marketing every spring. It is estimated that from 80,000 to 100,000 rubber plants are sold in America in a single year. 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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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 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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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.
 
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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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.
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==Cultivation==
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{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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—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.
 
  
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N. Taylor.
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===Propagation===
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{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
  
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Fig (Plate XLII) is Ficus carica, a native of Asia. It is a warm-temperate fruit, although it will stand 10° to 20° of frost under favorable conditions. It was early introduced into North America, but until recent years it has been little grown commercially. It has been known to fruit in the open in Michigan without other protection than a high board fence inclosure, but usually, if grown north of Philadelphia, the plants are lifted in early November, with good balls of earth, kept in a dryish cellar over winter, and planted out the next spring. From Philadelphia to the Carolinas it may be bent to the ground and covered with earth or pine boughs. The fruit is borne on the young wood, and often on young trees. This fruit is really a hollow pear-shaped receptacle with many minute seeds (botanically fruits) on the inside; it grows like a branch from the side of the shoot. Inferior, run-wild forms are frequent in the southern states, where they are sometimes called "old man and woman" by the negroes. Figs may be grown under glass, being planted permanently in a border after the manner of hothouse grapes. They usually bear better if the branches are trained more or less horizontally. Two or more crops may be expected in one year under glass. Eastern nurserymen sell fig trees. As early as 1833 Kenrick ("New American Orchardist") described 23 varieties. Popular varieties for amateur cultivation in the East are Turkey, White Genoa, Black Ischia and Celeste. In order to facilitate the ripening of the fruit in cool climates or under glass, it is a custom to dress the surface of the nearly full-grown figs with sweet oil. As a dessert fruit figs are usually eaten in the fresh state, in which condition they are scarcely known to people in cool climates. They are also cooked, and preserved. The commercial fig is the dried fruit.
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===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
  
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The fig is propagated very easily from hardwood cuttings, as grapes are. Take cuttings in the fall, removing just below a bud. If wood is scarce, single-eye cuttings may be used, being started preferably in a frame. From cuttings, bearing plants may be expected in two to four years. New varieties are obtained from seeds.
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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}}
 +
* ''[[Ficus enormis]]''{{Verify source|date=April 2008}}
 +
* ''[[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>
  
−
Various fruit books give directions for the growing of figs. Publications in California and of the United States Department of Agriculture discuss them. But the only independent American writing seems to be James T. Worthington's "Manual of Fig-Culture in the Northern and Middle States," Chillicothe, Ohio, 1869. Although regularly copyrighted, it is a pamphlet of only ten pages. It recommends the laying down of the trees in late fall and covering them with earth. This practice gave better results than covering with other material, or carrying the trees over winter in cellars, either in tubs or transplanted from the open (p. 1552). L H. B.
+
{{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.
−
Figs in the southeastern and Gulf states.
 
−
 
 
−
In the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf states the fig has been cultivated since the days of the earliest settlements. The exact time of introduction and indeed the exact origin of many of the more important varieties are unknown. For many years the trees, or more properly bushes, found a place as dooryard or garden plants, and to this clay some of the finest specimens are to be found near the shelter of buildings in country, town or village. The fruit was used by the owners of the bushes and the surplus found its way into the local market.
 
−
 
 
−
Within the last ten to twenty years, attention has been given to the fig as a commercial fruit and it has found a place as an orchard fruit in many localities. Its culture may be said to extend from Norfolk, Virginia, southward along the Atlantic coast, and around the Gulf of Mexico into Texas. In proximity to the water it is grown without protection, but inland, particularly in the northern limits of its range, the bushes are protected during the winter months, by bending them down and covering with boards, straw, heavy paper, in fact anything that will cover them. With some care in protecting the plants by laying them down and covering in winter, the fig is grown beyond the region in which it has a place as an orchard fruit. Most of the orchard plantings have been made in close proximity to the ocean or gulf.
 
−
 
 
−
The propagation of the fig in this region is almost entirely by cuttings made from well-ripened wood and planted during winter or in early spring. The hardened wood from old bearing trees gives the most satisfactory results. The cuttings should be 4 to 5 inches long, and cut through the nodes. In planting, the cuttings are set with the upper ends level with the surface of the earth.
 
−
 
 
−
Soils best adapted to the growing of the fig are clay soils, or heavy soils, which are or may be kept uniformly moist. No greater mistake can be made than to attempt the culture of the fig in light sandy soils, more or less deficient in moisture in the lower South. Under these conditions, the nematode (root-knot) works serious damage to the roots of the trees and the planting soon dies out. But on heavy soils, the nematodes are not able to work such havoc and the fig thrives in spite of their limited attacks. On light soils, the fig may be grown in the well-packed earth of yards or planted against buildings where the roots may find their way into the soil beneath the buildings, where the nematode has been starved out for lack of food plants. The shaded condition of the soil is also beneficial. It is doubtful whether a successful planting can be made on any large scale on light soils in the lower South for the reasons just indicated
 
−
 
 
−
Varieties.
 
−
 
 
−
The varieties which may be grown successfully in the area indicated belong to the group which will carry good crops of fruit without pollination. On account of climatic conditions, it is doubtful whether figs of the class requiring caprification can ever be successfully grown.
 
−
 
 
−
The more important varieties are the following:
 
−
Black Ischia.—Size medium to large; color of skin bluish black, almost entirely covered with delicate bluish bloom; flesh creamy white; quality good. Strong grower, not a heavy bearer but quite hardy. Season late.
 
−
 
 
−
Brunswick.—Fruit very large, broadly pear-shaped with short, rather slender stalk; ribs well marked, eye large, open with rosy scales; skin tough, dark brown in color; pulp thick, pink, soft, quality fair. Midseason and late.
 
−
 
 
−
Celeste.—Small to medium, pear-shaped, ribbed; violet-colored, sometimes shading purplish brown, covered with bloom about half way up from the neck; stem short, stout; flesh whitish, shading to rose-color at center; firm, juicy, sweet, excellent quality. One of the hardiest varieties of figs, and can be grown far outside of the usual limits of culture; very desirable for canning and preserving. Season early.
 
−
 
 
−
White Ischia.—Fruit of medium size, turbinate; skin greenish yellow; pulp rosy, red, soft, melting; quality rich, sweet; a variety of high quality. Very productive. Season late.
 
−
 
 
−
Lemon.—Fruit medium to large, flattened, faintly ribbed, light yellowish green; stem short, stout; flesh white, sweet, rather soft; quality fair to good. Vigorous and prolific. Early.
 
−
 
 
−
Magnolia.—Fruit of large size; amber-colored; flesh pinkish amber, handsome. Vigorous grower; prolific; excellent for canning. Midseason and late.
 
−
 
 
−
Turkey (Brown Turkey).—Size medium to large; broadly pear-shaped, with short, thick stalk; ribs few in number; color coppery brown; flesh white, or slightly amber-colored, shading to pink about the seeds; flesh solid, excellent quality. It is very hardy and prolific. Midseason and late.
 
−
 
 
−
Of the varieties just described, the more important commercial sorts are Celeste, Turkey, Brunswick and Magnolia.
 
−
 
 
−
Magnolia is the favorite variety along the coast in Texas from Beaumont southward. In the eastern Atlantic states it is not so favorably regarded, as the fruit splits and sours on the trees during the rainy weather which so often comes when the crop is maturing. It is entirely distinct from the Turkey fig. Turkey or Brown Turkey is very hardy, of dwarf growth and therefore a favorite in the colder sections in which the trees must be protected during winter. Celeste equals Turkey in hardiness, but it is a more robust grower. It is the most commonly planted variety from Beaumont, Texas, eastward, and in the southeastern states should generally be given preference for orchard planting. Brunswick, on account of its large handsome appearance is a desirable variety for the production of fresh fruit for market.
 
−
 
 
−
General cultivation.
 
−
 
 
−
In setting the fig in orchard, the trees are commonly placed 10 by 15 feet or 12 by 20 feet in thoroughly plowed and pulverized soil. January and February in the lower South are favorite months for planting, but in the colder sections it is usually better to delay planting until after spring opens. While setting the trees, great care should be taken to prevent the roots from becoming dried out. This point must be strongly emphasized, as the character of fig roots is such that they will not stand drying.
 
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−
It is not best to attempt to train the figs to tree form, but to allow them to develop with three or four trunks. To start them in bush form it is necessary to cut the plants back hard at time of planting. In case of severe weather during winter there is much less danger of losing whole trees if grown with several stems or trunks than if grown with single trunks. Subsequent pruning should be done to remove any sprouts or suckers that come up from the ground, to remove dead or injured branches, and to shape the form of the trees during the first few seasons. Branches that have to be removed for any cause should be cut back entirely rather than to stubs. The fig will not stand severe pruning year after year, such as has sometimes been attempted, and it is best to prune as little as possible to keep the trees in good shape.
 
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−
As the fig is a shallow-rooted tree, deep tillage is impossible. The orchard should not be plowed and implements for shallow cultivation only should be used. There is no better tillage tool than an ordinary hoe, but its use is too expensive on large plantings. It may, however, be used in the garden plot. Cultivation should begin in spring just in advance of the starting of growth and should continue at weekly or ten-day intervals until about July 1. Cover-crops of cowpeas or beggarweed should then cover the ground until autumn. In the handling of plantings of the later- ripening sorts, cultivation should be continued later in the season, and a winter cover-crop used instead of a summer one. Stable manure and commercial fertilizer should be used liberally to supply the necessary plant- food.
 
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−
A considerable amount of fruit can be and is handled in the markets as fresh fruit. It should be carefully cut from the trees early in the morning, selecting only well-colored but firm fruit, packed in strawberry carriers and shipped by express. When the work is properly handled in this way, its marketing presents no serious difficulties within a radius of 100 miles or so in the lower South and even greater distances in the northern area of its possible culture. By far the greater quantity of fruit is used by the canneries in the manufacture of preserved figs. A very delicious product is manufactured in the lower South, and meets with a ready sale.
 
−
 
 
−
H. Harold Hume.
 
−
 
 
−
The fig in California.
 
−
 
 
−
The fig, as grown in California at the present time, illustrates, perhaps more than any other fruit, the difficulties that arise in the course of the introduction of any new and highly specialized industry. Years of time and the united labors of many persons have at last resulted in the permanent establishment of fig- culture on a large scale in some parts of California. The successive steps by which this has been accomplished form one of the most remarkable chapters in our horticultural history.
 
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The edible cultivated fig is a native of southwestern Asia and undoubtedly ranks as one of the most ancient, beautiful and valuable of all fruit trees, forming a large part of the daily food of the people in those countries in which it thrives. The common name fig comes from Ficus, and that from the Hebrew "feg." The importation of figs, dried, canned or preserved, into regions unsuited to their growth, forms an immense and increasing group of industries. The literature of the fig, always very large, is receiving continual additions, as new varieties are introduced, as new values are found for the varied products and as its culture is being extended far beyond what were thought, twenty years ago, to be its inflexible climatic limitations.
 
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The botanical varieties of the edible fig (Finis carica) as generally recognized include the following: (1) Ficus carica var. sylvestris, the all-important wild fig of Asia Minor; (2) Ficus carica var. smyrniaca; (3) Ficus carica var. hortensis; (4) Ficus carica var. intermedia.
 
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The first of these, commonly known as the Capri fig, is not edible, but it was discovered ages ago that the famous little fig-wasp, formerly called Blasiophaga psenes but now determined as Blastophaga grossorum, breeds within it and is able to cross-pollinate the flowers of the invaluable Smyrna fig which otherwise will not perfect fruit. This process is termed "caprifica- tion" and is absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the highest grades of commercial orchards. The third of these groups includes all the self-fertilizing table and preserving varieties of the common fig. The fourth variety (intermedia) has the ability to mature one crop without cross-pollination, but not a second. The best figs for drying are all of the second class (Ficus carica var. smyrniaca) and three crops are the usual thing in average seasons. In fact, nearly all the cultivated figs bear three more or less distinct crops; in many orchards and gardens of California one may gather ripe figs every day from late July until frost and rains destroy the very perishable fruits.
 
−
 
 
−
Figs have been cultivated on the Pacific coast for more than two centuries, as it is thought that they were in the Mission gardens at Loreto, Lower California, before 1710. Father Zephyrin's monumental "History of the Franciscan Missions in California," three volumes of which have now been issued (1913), contains many facts about the first Mission gardens from San Diego to Dolores and Sonoma. The fig was in them all, and was spoken of by the early visitors to California, such as Malaspina, Menzies, Mocino and Vancouver. Santa Clara Mission had rows of very large fig trees before 1792.
 
−
 
 
−
At the present time (1913), the fig has become established over almost the entire horticultural area of California, wherever the temperature does not fall below 18° F. It does not thrive where there is much fog or where the summers are cold and windy, but even in such places if somewhat protected by walls or buildings, it matures fruit. When planted close to its climatic limits, a young tree needs special protection the first few years until the wood is mature and the growth less rapid. The fig is most at home in southern California, over the Coast Range Valleys, the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys to Northern Shasta, and up the lower slopes of the Sierras to about the elevation of 2,500 feet in central California—to 3,000 feet and upward farther south. Magnificent single trees and stately avenues abound in various places. Many trees now standing have trunks 3 feet in diameter. One in Stanislaus County is 80 feet in height; another in Butte County has rooted from drooping branches until it seems a whole grove. This is the notable General Bid- well tree at Chico (Mission Black variety) which covers a circle of 200 feet in diameter and has long been the pride of the region. Superb fig trees are found in all the old foothill and valley towns of California. A magnificent grove is on the old Thurber farm near Vacaville. Large commercial fig orchards have been planted, especially in Nesuo, Los Angeles, Butte, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Tulare, Merced, Sonoma, Placer, San Joaquin and Shasta Counties. The Maslin orchard near Loomis and the Roeding orchard east of Fresno are two of the most famous and successful ones in California. Fresno County now has 220,000 bearing fig trees, and Los Angeles nearly 100,000.
 
−
 
 
−
Varieties.
 
−
 
 
−
There are many horticultural varieties known to the markets and catalogues under innumerable synonyms. Their classification is by shape, color of skin and color of flesh. The shape is round or turbinate in some sorts, pyriform or obovate in others. The skin varies in color in different varieties from green through pale yellow, buff, light brown, reddish brown and purple, to black. The flesh is almost white, opaline, or various shades of red; it can be described as melting, spicy, juicy, coarse or even dry in a few old sorts. The size varies from those hardly as large as a green gage plum to others that sometimes weigh four or five ounces apiece. Eisen, in his useful and thorough monograph on the fig published by the Department of Agriculture (Division of Pomology, Bulletin No. 9, 1901) lists and describes nearly 400 varieties from different parts of the world. Eleven of these are Smyrnas, and twenty are varieties of the Capri or wild fig, differing in season so as to afford a succession and thus increase their value in caprification. Baja California, and Sonora, fine regions for the fig, have produced some varieties of promise, and others have been reported from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania, northern India, Algiers and many other places.
 
−
 
 
−
When the earlier California nurserymen began to grow figs, they first secured the Black Mission variety which the padres had brought from Mexico, and the little White Marseilles, which was at Santa Clara and Santa Barbara before the discovery of gold. They also obtained from Ellwanger and Barry, of Rochester, and from Berckmans, of Georgia, between 1860 and 1870, all the varieties then grown in America, principally for pot and greenhouse culture, not more than twenty-five sorts in all, chief among which were the Brown Turkey, Celeste, the Green and Black Ischias and the large Brunswick. Georgia and the Gulf coast were cultivating in gardens these sorts for home use, especially Celeste, which is fine for canning and preserving. There was therefore, much early correspondence between California nurserymen like William B. West. John Rock, Felix Gillet, James Shinn and others, and the fig-growers in the South, whose main drawback was in the frequent summer rains. Almost immediately, however, the Californians began to import trees from France, Italy, Spain, and later began to study the Smyrna fig industries. The catalogues of California nurserymen, by 1880, contained about 150 named varieties—with plenty of duplications, as was natural. The University of California experiment stations, by 1890, had about seventy-five varieties under trial and distributed them with great energy. The late John Rock, one of the most ardent horticulturists of his time in America, made many trips abroad and seldom failed to send back new kinds of figs. The inevitable and essential sifting down continued for over thirty years from 1880 until the nurseries of today list not to exceed thirty varieties. The principal sorts now in general cultivation, besides the very important Smyrna and Capri varieties sent out chiefly by George Roeding of Fresno, are the following:
 
−
 
 
−
Adriatic (Grosse Verte).
 
−
Agen.
 
−
Angelique.
 
−
Black Ischia (Black Marseilles; Black Provence; the Reculver of England).
 
−
Bourjasotte Blanche.
 
−
Brown Turkey.
 
−
Brunswick.
 
−
Celeste (Celestine).
 
−
Col di Signora Nigra.
 
−
Dauphine.
 
−
Doree.
 
−
Drap d’Or.
 
−
Du Roi.
 
−
Lardaro.
 
−
Madeline.
 
−
Mission (California Black).
 
−
Negro Largo.
 
−
Pastiliere.
 
−
Pingo de Mel.
 
−
Ronde Noire.
 
−
Ronde Violette Hative.
 
−
Royal Vineyard.
 
−
San Pedro (white).
 
−
Smyrna (common type).
 
−
White Genoa.
 
−
White Ischia.
 
−
White Marseilles.
 
−
 
 
−
A large amount of new experimenting has been done in California with fig varieties by the Bureau of Plant Industry which took up the work so well begun by Hilgard and others at the California Station. Lack of means and a general change of the University policy toward the sub-stations (where the fig orchards were located) led to the abandonment of those useful trials about 1902. Fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture had become deeply interested in the Smyrna fig problem, and soon established plant gardens in California. Beagles, who has charge of the one near Chico, furnishes the following list of the varieties being tested there in 1912, in addition to a great many seedlings and crosses under numbers and not yet in bearing. The list, as furnished by Beagles, is arranged in the order of securing the varieties, not alphabetically, and the first forty-four sorts are from the well-authenticated collection at Chiswick, England:
 
−
De l’Archipel.
 
−
Bontard.
 
−
Grosse Marseilles.
 
−
Peau dure.
 
−
Negronne.
 
−
Bourjassotte noire.
 
−
Poulette.
 
−
Ceil de Perdrix.
 
−
Du Roi.
 
−
Grosse Violette de Bordeaux.
 
−
Datte.
 
−
Monstrueuse.
 
−
Bourjassote grise.
 
−
A’ Bois Jaspee.
 
−
Royal Vineyard.
 
−
De Grasse.
 
−
Euscaire Preto.
 
−
Trois recoltes.
 
−
Monaco bianco.
 
−
Bondance Precoce.
 
−
Trifer.
 
−
Green Ischia.
 
−
Hirta du Japon.
 
−
St. Johns.
 
−
Vebra.
 
−
Datte Quotidienne.
 
−
Arbal.
 
−
De Jerusalem.
 
−
Nebian.
 
−
Vigasotte Bianco.
 
−
Grise Savantine bifere.
 
−
Quarteria.
 
−
Douro Vebra.
 
−
Reculver.
 
−
Gourand Rouge.
 
−
D’Agen.
 
−
Lampa.
 
−
Large Black Douro.
 
−
Adam.
 
−
De Constantine.
 
−
Biberaeo.
 
−
Grosse Verte.
 
−
Violette Sepor.
 
−
Dr. Hoggs Clare.
 
−
Hardy Prolific.
 
−
Figue d’Or.
 
−
Recousee noire.
 
−
Black Douro.
 
−
Grassale.
 
−
Martinique.
 
−
Crave.
 
−
White Ischia.
 
−
Brown Turkey.
 
−
Pastiliere.
 
−
Negro largo.
 
−
De la Madeleine.
 
−
Col di Signora Bianca.
 
−
Doree Nobis.
 
−
Pingo de Mel.
 
−
Black Ischia.
 
−
Toulousienne.
 
−
Gouraud noir.
 
−
Doree.
 
−
Brunswick.
 
−
Gentile.
 
−
White Adriatic.
 
−
Pacific White.
 
−
Vendome.
 
−
Barbillonne.
 
−
Figuires Blanch.
 
−
Warren’s Brown Turkey.
 
−
Capri Milco.
 
−
Trojano.
 
−
Capri Solms No. 1.
 
−
Capri Solms No. 2.
 
−
Capri Solms No. 3.
 
−
Capri Solms No. 4.
 
−
Dauphine.
 
−
 
 
−
The California Experiment Station, under Hilgard, found that several varieties which are no longer in ordinary cultivation were important. Chief among these was a French fig of compact growth, Hirta du Japon, a medium-sized, turbinate, dark purple fig of high quality. It is excellent for house culture and for small gardens.
 
−
 
 
−
Smyrna figs.
 
−
 
 
−
The story of the introduction of the fig-wasp, the indispensable Blastophaga, to California fig orchards is one of the amusing, pathetic and fascinating romances of outdoor life. Smyrna figs were planted early, and they did not bear; the trouble was indistinctly charged to "the climate;" growers laughed at the absurd "book notion" that the Asia Minor Greeks depended on "some sort of an insect" to secure abundant crops of fruit. The late John Bleasdale, who had been in Portugal, told many persons about fig-caprification early in the 1870's. Some of the nurserymen took it up with energy and managed to secure cuttings of Smyrna figs and of Capri figs, but no insects. The San Francisco "Bulletin,” between 1880 and 1882, secured and distributed over California about 14,000 cuttings. The fig-growers in Asia Minor became anxious to prevent importation of the insects to California or of the Capri fig cuttings, and the difficulties grew worse. Eisen and Rixford cross-fertilized figs by hand as soon as the wild fig trees blossomed. This was done on the James Shinn farm at Niles and at the California Nursery (managed by John Rock) in the same neighborhood". Then the Roedings of Fresno became interested, through Eisen, and planted a Smyrna fig orchard, but had no Blastophaga. Meanwhile the Department of Agriculture took hold. Walter Swingle was detailed and in 1899 secured the Algerian Blastophaga for the Californians. James Shinn, of Miles, had also obtained the Blastophaga in 1891, but his location was not suitable so that it perished and the work was done over again by both Swingle in 1899 and George Roeding, of Fresno, in 1896, working separately at different points of the problem. But all this time, the fig-wasp had accidentally become established near Modesto, about 1869, on the Gates farm. The wild fig tree there was, possibly, imported by West, of Stockton, in the form of cuttings carrying some of the "mamme" or winter generation of fruits containing the Blastophagas.
 
−
 
 
−
The literature of this whole subject is fascinating. It may be studied in the reports of the Department of Agriculture and in the following papers: "Some Points in the History of Caprification and in the Life History of the Fig," Walter T. Swingle, before the Thirty-fourth Fruit-Growers' Convention of California (1908); also his paper on the Maslin seedling fig orchard in the report of the thirty-fifth convention; also papers of his in the thirty-sixth and thirty-eighth reports; an essay by G. P. Rixford, read before the Forty-first Convention of California Fruit-Growers, in Santa Barbara, in 1912. His botanical and entomological paper, read in 1911 before the Pacific Association of Scientific Societies, on the "Fructification of the Fig by Blastophaga" traces the whole subject down from the days of Linnaeus. A practical paper on the subject is to be found in George C. Roeding's "California Horticulture," a pamphlet issued in 1909.
 
−
 
 
−
Caprification.
 
−
 
 
−
The work of study and experimentation has gone forward steadily since the first importation of the Blastophaga; it is likely that more has been done in this line in California in the past twenty years than in all the rest of the world put together. The practical methods of keeping the fig insect prosperously established so that every fruit can be fertilized are now well founded, and as the profits of the industry are generally recognized, large plantings can be expected. There are some obscure problems still undetermined relating to the different crops of figs and the fructification of some of the non-Smyrna types. But in California the industry as a whole finds possibly the most favorable soil and climate known to exist anywhere. It seems probable, therefore, that fig-growing will soon rank in importance with the growing of citrous fruits. The cultivated varieties of Smyrnas are doubtless capable of much improvement as regards size, crop and season.
 
−
 
 
−
Only thirty Capri figs are needed to caprify a large fig tree, so abundant are the insects and the pollen in good seasons, and one tree of the wild fig is sufficient for one hundred Smyrna trees. The male of the fig- wasp is without wings, but the female has wings and saw-like mandibles; she cuts her way through scales which interlock over the apex of the half-grown Smyrna fig. She loses her wings in entering, dies in the fig and is absorbed by the vegetable cells. If she lays her eggs they also perish and the continuance of the species depends upon those individuals that remain upon the wild fig trees.
 
−
 
 
−
Propagation.
 
−
 
 
−
The fig grows readily from cuttings. Use well-ripened wood of the previous season's growth, cut at the joint, and give them the same treatment required for grape cuttings. They will even grow from single- eye cuttings. Bottom heat is not necessary in California where the cuttings are set in nursery in December or January and are ready for the orchard in a year. In the eastern states, winter-made cuttings can be started with bottom heat, or, in April, in the open air.
 
−
 
 
−
Budding is best done by the annular or ring method, so useful for the chestnut and walnut. The fig can be cleft-grafted in February in California, but extreme care must be taken to exclude the air. Seedlings are easily grown from the fertile seeds of the imported Smyrna figs, and from the few fertile seeds occasionally appearing in' common varieties. Maslin, of Placer County, began to raise seedlings from imported dried figs in 1885 and these are now bearing.
 
−
 
 
−
Forcing.
 
−
 
 
−
The fig requires more heat under glass than does the grape. The temperatures preferred are, at first, 50° F. at night and, 65° for the day; later increase to 60° or 65° at night and 75° or more in the day. Figs must have much air and moisture till the crop is set. The best varieties for forcing are Early Violet, the White and Brown Ischias, White Marseilles, Hirta du Japon and Negro Largo. A soil of turfy loam with plenty of top- dressing is suitable for pots and tubs. Brown Turkey, Marseilles and Brunswick are the standard varieties for walls.
 
−
Cultural methods in California.
 
−
 
 
−
The fig tree in California requires much space, hence it is used as an avenue tree or if in orchard form other trees are set between, to be afterward removed. In good soil, fig trees, like walnuts, should finally stand not less than 40 feet apart, and 50 feet is considered to be better.
 
−
 
 
−
Little pruning is required for the fig. Trees grown for table figs are headed low, about 18 inches from the ground, to facilitate picking. Trees grown for drying figs are headed higher so that they can better be kept smooth and clean, as the figs are usually allowed to ripen and fall. Cultivation is necessary until the trees completely shade the ground.
 
−
 
 
−
Figs begin to bear early in California, often the second or third year. Some trees prove barren or very poor bearers and must be replaced by others. The tree appears to be as long-lived as the olive, has very few insect enemies, and is not subject to disease. It is a good ornamental tree.
 
−
 
 
−
The fruit in some districts, in some seasons, ferments on the trees ("fig-sour"). This sometimes seems to come from over-irrigation, sometimes from lack of vitality, and most often occurs in very tender and juicy varieties.
 
−
 
 
−
The very dangerous fig moth (Ephestra cautella) is now widely distributed in America, although not yet in California. During the last few years, many cargoes of imported figs have been seized in New York and destroyed on account of this insect, which fills the fruit with eggs and ultimately with its larvae (Bulletin No. 104, 1911, Bureau of Entomology). Asiatic dried figs are not only subject to this pest but contain less sugar (1½ per cent less) and less proteids (1 1/3 per cent) than do the California dried figs.
 
−
 
 
−
Fig-drying.—The fig crop is handled with much care and cleanliness in California, and labor-saving methods are used in all cases. The figs must remain on the trees till fully ripe; then they shrivel and drop off, arc picked up, dipped in boiling brine (three ounces salt to one gallon water), placed on trays exposed to the sun and turned once. The later drying is done in the shade. The figs are next placed in the "sweat boxes" and "mixed" so as to equalize the moisture. They are then washed clean in a weak brine, drained off and taken to the packing-room. Exceeding care, cleanliness and much experience are required to produce high-grade results.
 
−
 
 
−
Fig avenues.—There is a growing interest felt in the fig as an avenue tree in California, since it is deciduous and so does not shade the road in winter, and since it thrives without culture or pruning where the moisture is sufficient and the soil deep.
 
−
 
 
−
Culture in other places.
 
−
 
 
−
While California probably offers the best climate on the continent for commercial fig-growing, the industry has a future over much of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, the extreme South, Hawaii, Australia, large portions of South Africa, Mexico and the west coast of South America.
 
−
 
 
−
Fig-culture in the northern and middle parts of the United States is essentially different, of course, from the outdoor and orchard methods. The tree can be grown as a bush and protected each winter by covering the branches with several inches of soil. In the southern middle states, fig bushes are grown by covering in winter with matting and straw. One crop, or at most two, is all that can be expected. See the discussions on pages 1234 and 1235.
 
−
 
 
−
The crop.
 
−
 
 
−
Statistics are not well kept at present in the fig industry, but the annual California crop exceeds 4,000 tons (dried figs) while the local consumption of fresh figs is large and increasing. The fig pastes, conserves,and the like, and the use of figs in wafers and other forms is also general. As Smyrna exports about 30,000 tons in good years, there is evidently room for the California industry. The dried Smyrnas of California are equal to the best of Asia Minor and contain 64 per cent of sugar (Roeding's Calimyrna variety, the Erbeyli variety of its native country). Besides this variety, persons at Fresno are planting on a large scale the Kassaba, the Checker Injir of Scios, the Bardajic and what is called in California the purple Bulletin Smyrna.
 
−
 
 
−
Related species of Ficus.
 
−
 
 
−
The famous and useful "Sycamore fig" of the Orient (Ficus sycomorus) produces fruit in racemes on the older branches. It is too tender for outdoor culture in America. (See page 1234.) The beautiful peepul tree of India is the sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) of the Brahmans and Buddhists, and it is now found in many private collections in southern California. Ficus elastica, the India rubber tree, is often seen in the warmer parts of California. In 1914 a tree of F. elastica fruited heavily at Niles and the children seemed to like the figs. The true banyan fig has not yet been successfully grown in the state, but ought to be tested. In the American tropics many interesting kinds of Ficus may be expected.
 
−
Charles H. Shinn.
 
−
 
 
−
Fig. Adam's Fig: Musa paradisiaca. Barbary Fig: Opuntia vulgaris. Devil's Fig: Argemone mexicana. Hottentot's Fig: Mesembryanthemum edule. Indian Fig: Opuntia vulgaris. Keg Fig: Diospyros kaki. Pharaoh's Fig: Sycomorus antiquorum.
 
−
 
 
−
Fig-Marigold: Mesembryanthemum.
 
−
Filago: Gifola.
 
  
−
}}
+
—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.
−
{{redirect|Fig|the sport federation|Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique}}
+
{{SCH}}
−
{{Taxobox
 
−
| color = lightgreen
 
−
| name = ''Ficus''
 
−
| image = Sycomoros old.jpg
 
−
| image_width = 240px
 
−
| image_caption = ''[[Ficus sycomorus]]''
 
−
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
−
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
−
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
 
−
| ordo = [[Rosales]]
 
−
| familia = [[Moraceae]]
 
−
| genus = '''''Ficus'''''
 
−
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
 
−
| subdivision_ranks = Species
 
−
| subdivision =
 
−
About 800, including:<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus albipila]]'' - Abbey Tree or ''tandiran''<br/>
 
−
''[[Ficus altissima]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus americana]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus aurea]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'' - Indian Banyan<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus benjamina]]'' - Weeping Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus broadwayi]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Common Fig|Ficus carica]]'' - Common Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus citrifolia]]'' - Strangler Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus coronata]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus drupacea]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus elastica]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus erecta]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus glaberrima]]''<br/>
 
−
''[[Ficus godeffroyi]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus grenadensis]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus hartii]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus hispita]]'' L.<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus laevigata]]'' - ''Jamaican cherry'' <br>
 
−
''[[Ficus lyrata]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus macbrideii]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' - Moreton Bay Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus microcarpa]]'' - Chinese Banyan<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus nota]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus obtusifolia]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus palmata]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus palmeri]]'' - Rock Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus prolixa]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus pumila]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus racemosa]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Sacred Fig|Ficus religiosa]]'' - Sacred Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus rubiginosa]]'' - Port Jackson Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus rumphii]]'' - Rumpf's Fig<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus stahlii]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus sycomorus]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus thonningii]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus tinctoria]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus tobagensis]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus triangularis]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus trigonata]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus ulmifolia]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus variegata]]'' Bl. var. chlorocarpa King<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus virens]]''<br>
 
−
''[[Ficus vogelii]]''<br/>
 
−
''[[Ficus wassa]]''
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
{{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 }}
+
==Gallery==
−
{{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 }}
+
{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
  
−
'''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'']]
+
<gallery>
−
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]].
+
Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|Ficus variegata in Mongkok, Hong Kong.
−
 
+
File:Ficus abutilifolius MS 10385.jpg|''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]''
−
==Fruit and pollination==
+
Image:Ficus altissima1.jpg|''[[Ficus altissima]]''
−
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]]
+
Image:Ficus aspera 3.jpg|Figs of a [[variegated]] ''[[Ficus aspera]]''
−
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.  
+
Image:Starr_020227-0070_Ficus_triangularis.jpg|[[Mistletoe Fig]], ''[[Ficus deltoidea]]''
−
 
+
Image:Ficus erecta5.jpg|''[[Ficus erecta]]''
−
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.
+
Image:Ficus ilicina.jpg|''[[Ficus ilicina]]''
−
 
+
Image:Ficus lutea 0005.jpg|''[[Ficus lutea]]''
−
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.
+
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]]''
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Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|''[[Ficus variegata]]''
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Image:Ficus obliqua - Border Ranges National Park.jpg|Giant ''[[Ficus obliqua]]''.
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Image:Figi_Ficus_roxoburghi.jpg|''[[Ficus auriculata]]''
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Image:Ficus fig-fruit-on-trunk.jpg|Fruits on the trunk of a ''Ficus'' in [[India]]
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</gallery>
  
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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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==References==
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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[[Image:Ficus pumila Blanco1.203.png|left|thumb|19th century painting of ''Ficus pilosa'']]
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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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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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
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==Propagation==
 
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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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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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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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==Figs and health==
 
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[[Image:DriedFigs1.JPG|thumb|left|Dried figs]]
 
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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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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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* [[List of fruits]]
 
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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]]
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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* [http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/index.htm Figweb] Major reference site for the genus ''Ficus''
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*{{wplink}}
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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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* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Fig Fruit Facts]
 
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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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==References==
 
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<div class="references-small">
 
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<references/>
 
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</div>
 
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{{Commonscat|Ficus}}
 
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==Gallery==
 
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<gallery>
 
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Image:Ficus variegata.JPG|Ficus variegata in Mongkok, Hong Kong.
 
  
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[[Category:Accessory fruit]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Moraceae]]
 
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[[Category:Fruits of Iran]]
 
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[[Category:Plant morphology]]
 
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[[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


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


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 

{{{1}}}

The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Gallery

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References

External links


  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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