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Ficus ingens
Also called Red Leaved Fig
Ficus ingens, the red-leaved fig, is a fig species with an extensive range in the subtropical to dry tropical regions of Africa and southern Arabia. Despite its specific name, which means "huge", or "vast", it is usually a shrub or tree of modest proportions. It is a fig of variable habit depending on the local climate and substrate, typically a stunted subshrub on elevated rocky ridges, or potentially a large tree on warmer plains and lowlands. In 1829 the missionary Robert Moffat found a rare giant specimen, into which seventeen thatch huts of a native tribe were placed, so as to be out of reach of lions.
It is widespread in northern and eastern sub-Saharan Africa, with a more or less contiguous range from Senegal in the west, eastwards to Eritrea, and southwards to the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is extant in the Saharo-montane woodlands of the Tassili n'Ajjer, the Hoggar, Aïr and Tibesti mountains, and the Kerkour Nourene massif. It is also found in southernmost Oman, mainly in the region south of Dhofar, called Salalah. It is found on rock faces and outcrops, rocky slopes, riparian and wadi fringes, and in dense woodlands. Substrates include lava flows, coral and limestone in drier, exposed areas, and sandstone or dolomite in bushveld.
In northern Nigeria the figs, and in Kenya the leaves and figs, have been recorded as famine food. In South Africa a decoction of the bark mixed with cow feed is said to increase the flow of milk, though the leaves have been shown to be toxic to cattle, and sometimes to sheep. When ripe, the figs are readily eaten by several species of bird. The pollinator wasp is Platyscapa soraria Wiebes., while Otitesella longicauda and O. rotunda are non-pollinators.
Large-leaved rock fig · Figwood · Ficus adhatodifolia · Ficus albert-smithii · Abbey tree · Council tree · Ficus amazonica · Ficus americana subsp. greiffiana · Jamaican cherry fig · Ficus ampelos · Indian Bat Fig · Ficus andamanica
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ficus ingens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
