Ficus glumosa

Ficus glumosa, also known as the mountain fig or hairy rock fig, is an Afrotropical fig shrub or tree, growing up to 20 m tall. It is found over a range of altitudes and broken terrain types, including kopjes, outcrops, escarpments and lava flows, or in woodlands. It is for the greater part absent from the tropical rainforest zone, or the dry interior regions of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

Description

A fig. It is a shrub or tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows up to 10-15 m tall. It has spreading branches. It can spread 12 m wide. The bark is smooth and a grey-green. It has a few rough flaky pieces. The young shoots are hairy white. The leaves are soft and pink when young but stiff and papery when mature. They are long and oval. They are 2.5-10 cm long. The tip is rounded but with a sharp point. The base of the leaf is heart shaped. The leaf stalk is 4 cm long and thick and wavy. The leaves are hairy underneath except in one variety. The fruit are figs which are round and in pairs. They have fine silky hairs. They grow in the axils of leaves and are 7 cm across. They are green but turn red as they ripen. They are sweet and succulent.

Edible Uses

The ripe figs are eaten fresh, particularly by children. The cooked leaves are eaten as a vegetable. The gum is chewed as a masticatory.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fig fruit are eaten. The gum is also chewed as a masticatory. The leaves are cooked as a vegetable.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The traditional medicinal uses are numerous. The latex is diluted in water and used to treat diarrhoea. The latex is applied topically to alleviate pain from sprains and is dropped into the eyes as a treatment against sore eyes. The powdered bark, mixed with the latex, is used to plug carious teeth. A decoction of the bark is used as a mouthwash against toothache. A bark macerate is applied on the eyes of new born babies in Senegal to prevent conjunctivitis. The pounded bark is applied topically against headache. A decoction of pounded bark is used to wash sores daily until recovery. The roots and fruits are used in preparations to cure female sterility.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is normally found in dry country in Africa. Often it is among rocks and in wooded grassland. It is sensitive to frost. It grows between 245-1,850 m above sea level. It can tolerate drought. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 7-9.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, East Africa, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants grow naturally from seed. Seed can be removed from figs and dried and used. Plants can also be grown from cuttings. The wasp pollinator is Elisabethiella glumosae Wiebes.

Propagation

Seed - does not require pre-treatment. It germinates best at a temperature around 20°c. Air layering. Tip cuttings around 4 - 12cm long, taken from lateral branches.

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins. A dye extracted from the bark is used to colour textiles. A brick-red dye, it is popular in Mali ( in the 'bogolan' dyeing process), Sierra Leone and Ghana for dyeing cloth and raffia. A fibre obtained from the bark is used to make cloth. The bark contains an abundant sticky white latex which is used as an adhesive. The wood is light in weight. The wood is a source of fuel and is also used to produce charcoal. The tree is grown as a living fence. Lines of the tree can be planted as a windbreak.

Production

It is slow growing.

Other Information

The fruit are especially eaten by children.

Notes

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

Synonyms

Also Known As

Barach, Bergvy, Berg-rotsvy, Bukuzu, Ebiyong, Ebyong, Edalach, Eki, Eletan, Gilinziela, Halota, Inkhokho lemplophe, Inkiwane, Kadjere, Kilta, Kionywe, Kolo, Kuntsee, Kworo, Lanfane, Maginyela, Mangyea, Mountain fig, Mountain rock fig, Mutove, Nanrale, N'gaba, Nragama, Okworo, Pau-de-leite, Quequeie, Qilxaa, Rachere, Sague, Soto, Tchekehi, Tinaita, Tonri, Tshikululu, Umnyaxa

References (50)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 42
• Addis, G., Asfaw, Z & Woldu, Z., 2013, Ethnobotany of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants of Konso Ethnic Community, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 11:121-141
• Addis, G., et al, 2013, The Role of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants in Household Food Sovereignty in Hamer and Konso Communities, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 11:251-271
• Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.
• Busson, 1965,

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