Ficus virens
| Ficus virens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Curtain Fig Tree, Atherton Tableland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Genus: | Ficus |
| Species: | F. virens |
| Binomial name | |
| Ficus virens | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
| |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
|
Synonymy
| |
Ficus virens is a semi-deciduous tree of the genus Ficus.[4] It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of India, the Himalayas, Indochina, southern and central China, Malesia, Papuasia, northern Australia, and the Caroline Islands, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu in the western Pacific.[2] Its common name is white fig; it is locally known as pilkhan and in the Kunwinjku language it is called manbornde.[5] Like many figs, its fruits are edible. One of the most famous specimens of this tree is the Curtain Fig Tree of the Atherton Tableland, near Cairns, a popular tourist attraction.[6] Another famous example is the Tree of Knowledge in Darwin.
Description
[edit]
It is a medium-sized to medium-sized tree which grows to a height of 24–24 metres (79–79 ft) In dry areas and up to 32 metres (105 ft) tall in wetter areas. It is a fig tree belonging to the group of trees known as strangler figs, which is because its seeds can germinate on other trees and grow to strangle and eventually kill the host tree.[citation needed]
It has two marked growth periods in its Indian environment: in spring (February to early May), and in the time of the monsoon rains (i.e. June to early September). The new leaves are a shade of reddish pink.[citation needed]
This is a very massive tree in which the width of the crown can sometimes exceed the height of the tree. Campbell exhibits a photograph of an individual which he states had a girth at breast height of 37 m (121 ft), or a DBH of 11.5 m (38 ft).[7] The photo shows no sign of buttresses or a basal swelling.
Varieties
[edit]Plants of the World Online accepts three varieties:[2]
- Ficus virens var. dasycarpa Corner – northern Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia)[8]
- Ficus virens var. dispersa Chantaras. – Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku, Papuasia, Queensland, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia[9]
- Ficus virens var. virens – India and China to northern and eastern Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and the Caroline Islands.[3]
Ficus virens var. sublanceolata occurs the subtropical rainforest of northeastern New South Wales, and south eastern Queensland in Australia.[citation needed] Plants of the World Online treats it as a synonym of var. virens.[3]
Use as food
[edit]The leaves are known in Thai cuisine as phak liap (Thai: ผักเลียบ). They are eaten boiled as a vegetable in Northern Thai curries, referred to in the Northern dialect as phak hueat (ผักเฮือด).[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ↑ Shao, Q.; Zhao, L.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2019). "Ficus virens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T147495192A147631836. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T147495192A147631836.en. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ficus virens Aiton". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Ficus virens var. virens". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ "Ficus virens - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ↑ Garde, Murray. "manbornde". Bininj Kunwok Online Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ↑ "The Curtain Fig Tree (entry 602734)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ↑ Campbell, Douglas H. (1926). Outline of Plant Geography. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 249 and photo p. 248.
- ↑ "Ficus virens var. dasycarpa Corner". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- ↑ "Ficus virens var. dispersa Chantaras". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
External links
[edit]
- "Ficus virens". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- Galamarrma, The Tree of Knowledge, Darwin, Australia - Exceptional Trees on Waymarking.com
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Ficus
- Flora of tropical Asia
- Flora of the Caroline Islands
- Flora of South-Central China
- Flora of Southeast China
- Flora of Hainan
- Flora of New Caledonia
- Flora of New South Wales
- Flora of the Northern Territory
- Flora of Queensland
- Rosids of Western Australia
- Flora of Vanuatu
- Rosales of Australia
- Least concern flora of Asia
- Least concern flora of Australia
- Least concern flora of the Pacific
- Least concern flora of Papuasia
- Epiphytes
- Plants described in 1789
- Taxa named by William Aiton