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biodiversity explorer

the web of life in southern Africa

Genus: Ficus (figs)

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Rosids > Eurosid I > Order: Rosales > Family: Moraceae

About 755 species distributed wordwide, with 40 species native to southern Africa and an additional 31 species that are cultivated in the region.

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of southern Africa - an online checklist (SANBI), Flora of Zimbabwe and Flora of Mozambique.

All native species are linked to species pages in the companion Iziko website of Biodiversity Explorer call Figweb. Thumbnails are from this site and the photographs were taken by Simon van Noort and Jean-Yves Rasplus.

Ficus abutilifolia

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus bizanae

Ficus bubu

Ficus burkei

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus burtt-davyi

Ficus bussei

Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. See Flora of Zimbabwe. Possible vicariant of Ficus recurvata and these two taxa may in fact represent a single species.

 

Ficus capreifolia

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus chirindensis

Recorded from Zimbabwe. See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus cordata

Ficus craterostoma

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus exasperata

Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus fischeri

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus glumosa

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus ilicina

Ficus ingens

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus lingua

Ficus lutea

Ficus modesta

Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

 

Ficus muelleriana

Recorded from Mozambique.

 

Ficus natalensis

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus nigropunctata

 

Ficus ottoniifolia

Recorded from Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus persicifolia

 

Ficus petersii

Ficus polita

Ficus psilopoga

 

Ficus pygmaea

Ficus populifolia

Recorded from Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus rokko

Recorded from Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus salicifolia

Ficus sansibarica

Ficus scassellatii

Recorded from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus stuhlmannii

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus sur

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus sycomorus

See Flora of Zimbabwe, where it is split into two subpsecies - F. s. gnaphalocarpa and F. s. sycomorus.

Ficus tettensis

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Ficus tremula

Ficus trichopoda

Ficus vallis-choudae

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Ficus verruculosa

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

List from Glen (2002).

Ficus altissima

Native from India to China.

 

Ficus annulata

Native from Burma to the Philippines.

 

Ficus aspera

Native to the New Hebrides.

 

Ficus auriculata

Native from the Himalayas to Vietnam.

 

Ficus benghalensis (Banyan tree)

Native to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

 

Ficus benjamina (Weeping fig)

Native from India to Australia.

 

Ficus carica (Edible fig)

Native from the Mediterranean to western Asia.

Ficus cotinifolia

Native to Mexico.

 

Ficus elastica (Rubber fig)

Native from the southern Himalayas to Java.

 

Ficus lyrata (Fiddle-leaved fig)

Native to western tropical Africa.

 

Ficus macrophylla (Moreton bay fig)

Native to eastern Australia.

 

Ficus microcarpa

Native from India to Australia.

 

Ficus obliqua

Native Indonesia and the Pacific islands.

 

Ficus palmata

Native from northeast Africa to India.

 

Ficus pandurata

Native to China and Vietnam.

 

Ficus pumila (Creeping fig, Tickey creeper)

Native from Vietnam to Japan.

 

Ficus racemosa (Crattock)

Native from Sri Lanka to China.

 

Ficus religiosa (Peepul tree, Bo tree)

Native from Pakistan to China.

 

Ficus retusa (Malay banyan)

Native from China to Malaysia.

 

Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson fig)

Native to eastern Australia.

 

Ficus rumphii

Native from India to southeast Asia.

 

Ficus sagittata

Native from India to China.

 

Ficus septica

Native from Taiwan to Australia.

 

Ficus syringifolia

Native to Venezuela.

 

Ficus trigonata

Native from Mexico to Colombia.

 

Ficus urbaniana

Native to the West Indies.

 

Ficus vallis-choudae [check]

Native to tropical Africa.

 

Ficus vasta

Native from northeast Africa to Saudi Arabia.

 

Ficus virens

Native from Pakistan to China.

 

Ficus watkinsiana (Watkin's fig)

Native to northeastern Australia.

 

Ficus wildemanniana

Native to tropical Africa.

 

Publications

  • Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.