Common wild fig, Strangler fig
Ficus thonningii
Family: Moraceae
What it is like
A fig. It is a tree which can lose its leaves during the dry season of the year. It is often a strangler fig on oil palm. It grows up to 12-25 m high. It can grow in soil or attached to other plants. It can be a climber. It can have buttresses or have several stems. The crown is dark and rounded and spreading. The bark is smooth and grey. The leafy twigs are 2-8 mm thick. The leaves are arranged in spirals. The leaves vary. They are often oval. The leaves are 3-12 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. There are 7-12 pairs of side veins. The young leaves are pale and hairy underneath. The fig fruit are about 1 cm across. The fruit often occur in pairs in the axils of the leaves. They become purple-red when ripe.
There are about 800-1000 Ficus species. They are mostly in the tropics. There are 120 Ficus species in tropical America.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in wet and dry upland forest. It also grows in open grassland, woodland and swamp forest and along rivers. It can be on the edges of mangroves. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in areas with a 700-1800 mm rainfall. It grows in savannah forest often on stony hills in West Africa. It grows between 1,000-2,500 m altitude. It is drought tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 7-9.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Djibouti, East Africa, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The fig fruit are eaten raw. They are also used for jams and jellies and for alcoholic drinks. The leaves are eaten raw in salads.
The fruit are eaten raw especially by children. The fruit are popular. The leaves are commonly eaten in Senegal.
Edible parts
Fruit, leaves, gum
How it is grown
It can be grown from seed or from cuttings. The fruit are dried and the seeds removed. As well the fruit can be soaked in cold water for a day then turned inside out to remove the seeds. Cuttings 15 cm long by 1 cm wide are suitable. It can also be grown from large branches 2-3 m long by 10 cm wide.
It is fast growing. Often fruit are infested with insects.
Its other names
Local names
Belene, Bongo, Bupok, Cediya, Chaqerta, Chibeha, Dambi, Di kikilik, Doobaali, Doubaley, Dubalae, Dubale, Ebule, Gerina, Gewone wildevy, Gulgosi, Ibule, I-mara, Kachele, Kanyanguni, Ka pva, Kwonkwia, Lauro, Lodo, Looro, Loro, Mbelen, Mkuu, Mokumo, Moumo, Mugumo, Ndibale, Ndan, Ndubali, Nsanda, Ol-endeti, Ordenai, Oretiti, Pwoo, Shawri-wabi, Tinaita, Uncuine, Wuurdonaa, Yasin
Synonyms
Ficus bequaertii De Wild.; Ficus bongoensis Warb.; Ficus burkei (Miq.) Miq.; Ficus butaguensis De Wild.; Ficus chlamydodora Warb.; Ficus crassipedicellata De Wild.; Ficus cyphocarpa Midlbr.; Ficus dekdekena (Miq.) A. Rich.; Ficus dekdekena var. angustifolia Peter; Ficus dinteri Warb.; Ficus erici-rosenii R. E. Fries; Ficus eriocarpa Warb.; Ficus galpinii Warb.; Ficus goetzei Warb.; Ficus iteophylla Miq.; Ficus kagerensis Lebrun & Toussant; Ficus mabifolia Warb.; Ficus mammigera R. E. Fries; Ficus medullaris Warb.; Ficus microcarpa Vahl; Ficus neurocarpa Lebrun & Toussaint; Ficus persicifolia Warb.; Ficus petersii Warb.; Ficus philipsii Burtt Davy & Hutch.; Ficus psilopoga Ficalho; Ficus pubicosta Warb.; Ficus rhodesiaca Mildbr. & Burret; Ficus ruficeps Warb.; Ficus rupicola Lebrun & Toussaint; Ficus sassandrensis A. Chev.; Ficus schinziana Warb.; Ficus spragueana A. Chev.; Ficus thonningii var. heterophylla Peter; Ficus trophyton Lebrun & Toussaint; Urostigma burkei Miq.; Urostigma dekdekena Miq.; Urostigma thonningii (Blume) Miq.; NB The ones marked in red are probably now restored to species in their own right.