Moraceae
Ficus

Ficus carica L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1059 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Medit. to Central Asia and Afghanistan. It is a tree and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for food.

Descriptions

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
breva, brevo, higo, higuera
[UNAL]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or much branched small tree up to c. 4 m tall, deciduous; bark brown; latex milky white
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate; stipules 1–2 cm long; petiole 6–10 cm long; blade 3–5-lobed, broadly ovate in outline, up to 20 x 18 cm, base cordate, margin serrate, at least near the apex of the lobes, apex and apex of lobes acute to acuminate, with scattered stiff hairs above, glabrescent to puberulous below, with 3–5 veins from the leaf base and c. 10 lateral veins in the middle lobe
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fig pyriform, up to 7 x 5 cm, with 2–3 basal bracts, purple when ripe; ostiole ± protruding, with clearly visible bracts.
Distribution
N3 widely cultivated and sometimes escaped.
Ecology
Altitude c. 1700 m.
Note
The origin of this cultivated species is not known, but it seems to be closely related to F. palmata.
[FSOM]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63527/12687229

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 1450 - 2800 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Arbusto
[CPLC]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1450–2800 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Shrub.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Moraceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Vernacular
The edible fig.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Edible Fig

Sources

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0