Ficus copiosa

Ficus copiosa, the plentiful fig, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Papuasia, Queensland, and on to some western Pacific islands. The leaves are widely consumed as a vegetable by local peoples.

Description

A fig. It is a small tree. It grows up to 10 m high. The trunk is slender and straight. The bark is grey and smooth. Young stems and veins have a purplish colour and the tips have a rough feel due to raised bristles on the leaves and stems. The leaf shape varies. Leaves are 10-25 cm long by 5-12 cm across. They are oval. The leaves are often heart shaped at the base and bluntly pointed at the tip. The edges of the leaves are irregular. The leaf stalks are about 2 cm long. Fruit are 1-2 cm across and often on old twigs in small clusters.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked. Fruit - raw or cooked. Figs axillary to cauliflorous, slightly depressed-globose, 25 - 60mm in diameter.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are eaten cooked. The fruit are eaten raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The unripe fruits are chewed to relieve stomach-ache. The latex from fresh (unripe?) fruits is applied to boils. Fresh leaves are used as an antidote to poison, helping to excrete the toxins. The roots and leaves are used to treat stomach-ache. Massaging the stomach with crushed leaves is said to relieve stomach-ache.

Distribution

A tropical tree. Trees grow from sea level up to about 1800 m above sea level in Papua New Guinea. It has been recorded up to 2,450 m. They are normally in mixed forest. They are often in seasonally drier areas.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Bougainville, Indonesia, Micronesia, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, West Papua,

Cultivation

Trees are often planted by seeds or self sown seedlings are transplanted. Trees can also be grown by cuttings and aerial layering. In some areas trees are grown as a hedge and pruned to increase branching. Plants occur both wild and cultivated.

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings. Air layering.

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the bark is used for making clothing and ropes. The fibrous branches can be used to clean the teeth. The leaves of some species are used to wrap food for cooking. The leaves of some species are quite rough and can be used as a sandpaper substitute and for scouring pots. The wood of plants in this genus is usually of low quality, light in weight, soft and not very durable. It is sometimes used for purposes such as light construction, digging sticks, yam stakes, etc. The wood is also used for fuel and sometimes for making fire by friction. The trees are sometimes grown as a hedge, being pruned regularly to increase branching. It is used as a dividing hedge between garden plots in new Guinea.

Production

Young tips of 3-5 g are picked.

Other Information

Probably the most widely used fig leaf in Papua New Guinea. It is fairly common throughout the country and important in some areas. It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 800-1000 Ficus species. They are mostly in the tropics. There are 120 Ficus species in tropical America.

References (26)

• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 715 and no. 733 (As Ficus senfftiana)
• Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 105
• Bourke, R. M., Altitudinal limits of 230 economic crop species in Papua New Guinea. Terra australis 32.
• Cooper W & Cooper W T, 1994, Fruits of the Rain Forest. RD Press p 128
• Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 323

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