Ficus bakeri Elmer

Root-climber. Branchlets drying brown. Leafy twigs 1-2 mm thick, solid, densely to sparsely brown to whitish puberulous to tomentose or tomentellous, or partly hirtellous. Leaves distichous; lamina ovate to elliptic, (2-)4-9 by (1-)2-5 cm, symmetric, (sub)coriaceous, apex shortly and bluntly (sub)acuminate to obtuse, base equilateral, rounded to subcordate or to obtuse, margin entire, slightly revolute; upper surface sparsely (to rather densely) brownish puberulous to subtomentose to pubescent mainly on the veins, glabrescent, lower surface sparsely appressed-puberulous to pubescent on the veins; cystoliths on both sides; midrib flat above, lateral veins 3 or 4 (or 5) pairs, the basal pair up to c. 1/2 the length of the lamina, branched, the other lateral veins sometimes branched, tertiary venation scalariform, the smaller veins (almost) flat beneath; waxy glands in the axils of the basal lateral veins and of some other lateral veins; petiole 1-1.5(-1.8) cm long, ± densely brown puberulous, the epidermis persistent; stipules 0.3-0.6 cm long, brownish appressed-puberulous to subsericeous, caducous. Figs axillary or just below the leaves, in pairs or solitary; peduncle 0.2-0.5 cm long; basal bracts 1-1.5 mm long, persistent (or caducous); receptacle subglobose, 0.4-0.6 cm diam. when dry, non-stipitate or substipitate, densely to rather sparsely whitish tomentellous, dark red at maturity, apex ± umbonate, ostiole c. 1 mm diam., slightly prominent; internal hairs sparse or absent. Tepals of long-styled flowers red, those of short-styled and staminate flowers yellowish and indurated.

A tropical plant. They are found in alpine forests along the Pacific coast of the Philippines from Luzon to northern Mindanao. It grows in damp forests between 500-1,100 m above sea level.

UsesThe inner bark is used for bowstrings.

Can be grown by seedlings.