Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Tree (Big (>30m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Conical

Native Distribution	India, Andaman Islands, Myanmar, south China, Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, Indochina, Thailand, Malesia (including Singapore), Solomon Islands, and Australia
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Primary Rainforest, Secondary Rainforest, Freshwater Swamp Forest, Disturbed Area / Open Ground)
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Native to Singapore (Least Concern (LC))

Growth Form	It is a medium-sized tree up to 40 m tall, with a conical crown. It has conspicuous and spreading buttresses developing from its trunk. The plant is easy to identify when it bears syconia (figs).
Crown	Conical
Roots	Spreading buttresses

Foliage	Its spirally arranged, long-stalked leaves have leathery leaf blades that are egg-shaped to oval to oblong with pointed tips, and 6–35 by 2–15 cm. Its young leaves have larger, toothed leaf blades.
Flowers	The plant is dioecious with each plant bearing male or female flowers. The flowers are tiny and develop within the syconium (fig).
Fruits	Its long-stalked syconia (figs) are pear-shaped, green with rose-red streaks when ripe, up to 5 cm wide, and develop in dense clusters on short twigs, up to 7.6 cm long, arising from the trunk and main branches. It has been observed that only trees that are taller than 5–7.6 m bear figs.
Habitat	It grows in villages, along the edges or in open areas in lowland forests up to 1,200 m altitude. It occurs locally in Fort Canning Park and Pulau Ubin.
Associated Fauna	Its flowers are pollinated by the fig wasp (Ceratosolen appendiculatus), and its ripe syconia are eaten by birds.
Cultivation	It can be propagated by seed.
Etymology	Latin Ficus, the commercial edible fig (Ficus carica); Latin variegata, irregularly coloured, referring to the ripening figs that are green with rose-red streaks
Ethnobotanical Uses	Medicinal ( The latex from the bark are reportedly used as a poultice on wounds.  ) [Others]: The fibrous bark was previously used to make felt, that is in turn used to make loincloth.

Landscaping	The tree is attractive when it bears figs, as its trunk and branches will be densely covered with its green or rose-red figs.
Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Fruits
Plant & Rootzone Preference - Tolerance	Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils

Landscape Uses

General, Roadside Tree / Palm, Parks & Gardens, Small Gardens

Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna	Bird Attracting
Pollination Method(s)	Biotic (Fauna)
Seed or Spore Dispersal	Biotic (Fauna) (Vertebrates (Other Mammal))

Light Preference	Full Sun, Semi-Shade
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Propagation Method

Seed

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Leathery

Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Alternate, Spiral
Foliar Attachment to Stem	Petiolate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Entire
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Flower & Plant Sexuality 1	Unisexual Flowers
Flower & Plant Sexuality 2	Dioecious
Flower Grouping	Cluster / Inflorescence

Flower Location	Cauliflorous
Inflorescence Type	Syconium

Mature Fruit Colour(s) - Angiosperms and Gymnosperms	Red, Orange
Fruit Classification	Multiple Fruit
Fruit Type 1	Fleshy Fruit

Fruit Type 2

Accessory / False Fruit (Pseudocarp)

Images

Master ID	1624
Species ID	2917
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.