Ficus sycomorus L.

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

Morphology General Habit

Large tree up to c. 30 m tall, buttressed, with a trunk up to 3.5 m in diam.; crown spreading

Morphology General Bark

Bark greyish-brown, flaking, often becoming yellowish on older trunks; slash pale brown, yellowish or pinkish; latex milky white

Morphology Branches

Young branches with brown bark, puberulous to pubescent or lanate, often peeling off in scales when dry

Morphology Leaves

Leaves almost in 2 rows; stipules lateral, free, covering buds as scarious lanate to hirsute grey or brown scales, caducous leaving a circular fringe of whitish or brownish hairs; petiole 3–5 cm long, often with scaly peeling outer layer when dry; blade ± leathery, broadly ovate, elliptic or suborbicular, 3–15 x 2–10.5 cm, base rounded to narrowly cordate, margin subentire to crenulate, apex rounded, acute or shortly acuminate, dull, slightly scabrous or smooth above, scabrous or smooth, often pubescent below, with 4–8 pairs of lateral veins

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Figs 1–2 together, either on clusters of leafless branchlets on the trunk or older branches or in the axil of normal leaves, on peduncles up to 1.5 cm long; basal bracts 3, ovate to triangular, 3–4 mm long, puberulous; receptacle pear-shaped, obovoid or subglobose, often ± stipitate, 1.8–2.5(–5) x 1–2 cm, puberulous to tomentose; ostiole prominent, with 3–5 clearly visible triangular ostiolar bracts.

Moraceae, C. C. Berg. Flora Zambesiaca 9:6. 1991

Morphology General Habit

Tree up to 20(30) m. tall, trunk short, up to c. 2 m. diam., main branches spreading.

Morphology Twigs

Leafy twigs 2–6 mm. thick, densely, minutely puberulous and with much longer, white to yellowish hairs, especially on the nodes; periderm flaking off when dry.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf lamina ovate to elliptic, or obovate to subcircular (1)2.5–12(21) x (0.5)2–11(16) cm., chartaceous to coriaceous, apex rounded to obtuse, base cordate sometimes obtuse, margin subentire, slightly repand or denticulate; superior surface scabrous to scabridulous, sometimes almost smooth or hispidulous to strigillose, the main veins whitish hirtellous to hirsute, inferior surface puberulous to hispidulous, the main veins sparsely whitish hirtellous to hirsute; lateral veins 5–10 pairs; petiole (0.5)1–4(6) cm. long, 1–3 mm. thick, densely, minutely white puberulous and with much longer white to yellowish hairs, with the periderm flaking off when dry; stipules 5–25 mm. long, white puberulous to tomentose or partly hirtellous to hirsute, caducous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Figs solitary or sometimes in pairs in the leaf axils or just below the leaves on unbranched, leafless branchlets up to 20 cm. long, or on branched, leafless branchlets up to 20(35) cm. long, or borne on the older branches down to the trunk; peduncle 3–25 mm. long, 1–3 mm. thick; basal bracts 2–3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle obovoid to pyriform or subglobose, often stipitate, at least when dry, 1.5–5 cm. in diam. when fresh, (1)1.5–3 cm. in diam. when dry, velutinous or densely tomentose to sparsely puberulous or pubescent, sometimes almost glabrous, yellowish to reddish at maturity.

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

Morphology General Habit

A tree to 60 ft. high, with pale trunk and widespreading crown

Morphology General Indumentum

Pilose branchlets and scabrid leaves

Ecology

Generally by streams in the savannah regions.

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

Distribution

N3 widespread in tropical Africa, west to Senegal, south to South Africa.

Ecology

Altitude c. 1100 m.

Note

The distribution of the two subspecies of F. sycomorus overlap in Ethiopia and Somalia.