Highlands kapiak, Dinnerplate fig
Ficus dammaropsis

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

A fig tree. It grows to 9-13 m high. The large young leaves are eaten. The branches are strong and flexible and contain a milky juice. The tree has a single trunk without buttresses or aerial roots. It is often straggling. Seedling trees vary considerably in size of leaves and colour of young leaves and veins. The leaves are large. They can be 60-100 cm long. They are deeply corrugated with veins. The veins can be red or yellow. The fruit is large (15 cm across) and made up of large overlapping scale leaves. It ripens to a deep purple.

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. Trees occur from 900 m to 2700 m but it is most common between 1600 and 1750 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, West Papua

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten with meat. The outside layer of the fruit is edible. The young fruit are boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

In Papua New Guinea, leaves are fairly widely used at pig kills and for mumus in the highlands. Fruit are less widely eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves

How it is grown

Trees grow from seeds and are transplanted. Cuttings of branches do not normally establish. It can be grown by air-layering.

Its other names

Local names

Anugu, Elu, Emi, Hok, Mail, Minibi, Pohon ara pakiak, Pohon ara rotigunung, Shuwat, Suar, Suar sur

Synonyms

Dammaropsis kingiana Warb;