Sandpaper tree
Ficus asperifolia

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

A fig. It is a scrambling shrub. It grows 2-4 m high. It can be a creeper 8 m long. The leaves are in 2 lines on opposite sides of the stems. They are alternate. They are 3-23 cm long by 1-12 cm wide. They are papery and usually have unequal sides. The figs occur as 1-3 together. They are in the axils of leaves. They are 2-3 cm across. They are dark red or orange.

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 damp sites and near river banks in West and Central Africa. It grows in evergreen forests and along rivers. It grows from sea level to 1,800 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Indochina, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Nigeria, Rwanda, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit

How it is grown

The pollinating wasp is Kradibia gestroi afrum (Wiebes).

Its other names

Local names

Cilenga, Eka, Ibbi gehi, Ibbi gorki, Ka, Kagami, Kalume-ka-lukenga, Kitabataba, Munyamata, Mupenuamu, Nyoin, Oget, Umuseena, Zierre

Synonyms

Ficus acutifolia Hutch.; Ficus cnestrophylla Warb.; Ficus colpophylla Warb.; Ficus irumuensis De Wild.; Ficus manicariarum Standl.; Ficus paludicola Warb.; Ficus pendula Welw.; Ficus scolopophora Warb.; Ficus storthophylla Warb.; Ficus storthophylla var. cuneata De Wild.; Ficus urceolaris Welw. ex Hiern.; Ficus xiphophora Warb.;