Haroni fig, False cape fig
Ficus vallis-choudae
Family: Moraceae
What it is like
A fig. It is a large tree. It grows 5-20 m tall. The crown is wide and spreading. Sometimes it has buttresses near the base. The bark is rough and grey. On leafy twigs the bark is often white or hairy. The skin flakes off when dry. The leaves are stiff. They are dark green and wide oval shape. The base is heart shaped. The leaves are about 20 cm long and 4-24 cm wide. The edge of the leaf has wide teeth and is often wavy. The leaf stalk is 2-11 cm long. There are 4-6 main pairs of veins. The lowest ones reach beyond the middle of the leaf blade. The fruit are figs which occur singly. They are 3-6 cm across. They are round and yellow-orange with orange stripes when ripe. They grow beside or just below the leaves. They grow on short woody stalks. They are succulent and edible.
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 is common is tropical Africa. It grows in the savannah in regions where the rainfall is 700-1500 mm per year. Mostly it occurs near rivers and lakes due to the groundwater. In Tanzania it grows between 400-1,800 m above sea level. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The ripe figs are eaten fresh.
The figs are liked in Western Africa. The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is a commonly used food.
Edible parts
Bark, fruit, leaves, vegetable
How it is grown
Plants grow naturally from seed. The figs have plenty of seed which should be extracted from the figs and dried before sowing. Seed can be stored for 2 months. Plants can be grown by cuttings.
Trees are fast growing. They can be pruned. In Tanzania fruit are available from November to June.
Its other names
Local names
Aloma-bli, Bambula, Bambulede, Boba, Guibe, Ikuu, Mkuyu, Msaambu, Mtundu, Mumu, Nshembe-sa-bulege, Obologoi, Obori, Wubi