Ficus carica L.

Edible fig (en), Figuier de Carie (fr), Figuier commun (fr), Caprifiguier (fr), Figuier (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Rosales > Moraceae > Ficus

Characteristics

Tree up to 10 m tall. Leafy twigs 4-7 mm thick, puberulous to subtomentose; periderm persistent. Leaves spirally arranged; lamina cordiform to ovate and palmately 3-7(-11)-lobed to-fid, (4-)10-20(-35) by (4-)10-20(-35) cm, subcoriaceous, apex rounded to obtuse, base cordate to truncate, margin dentate to crenate to subentire; upper surface hispidulous (to subglabrous), ± scabrous (to smooth), lower surface hirtellous to subtomentose on the veins; cystoliths only beneath; lateral veins 6-12 pairs, the basal pair up 1/2-2/3 the length of the lamina, branched, tertiary venation scalariform; waxy glands in the axils of the basal lateral veins; petiole 4-12 cm long, puberulous, the epidermis persistent; stipules 0.5-1.5 cm long, ciliolate, also puberulous on the keel, or glabrous, caducous. Figs axillary or also below the leaves on previous season’s growth, solitary; peduncle 0.2-2.5 cm long; basal bracts 3, 2-3.5 mm long, ciliolate or also sparsely puberulous outside; receptacle (sub)pyriform to subglobose, 1.5-4 cm diam. when dry, 2.5-7 cm diam. when fresh, puberulous, purple at maturity, apex convex or flat, ostiole c. 3 mm diam., ± prominent; internal hairs abundant, short.
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A fig. It is a low spreading deciduous tree with large leaves. It can grow to 10 m high. Trees are widely spreading with many branches. It has milky sap. The small branches are straight and strong. The leaves spread out like fingers on a hand with 3 or 5 lobes. The leaves are rough textured on the upper surface and downy underneath. The flowers are of one sex only. There are two sex forms-the caprifig and the fig. The caprifigs are dry and hard and develop 3 times a year. They harbour the fig wasp which itself goes through 3 different stages of its life cycle in these 3 fruit seasons. The "fruit" is a hollow receptacle with an opening at the tip. Inside this the flowers grow and mature. The true fruit develop inside this large receptacle. They are produced either singly or in pairs in the axils of leaves. Fruit colour can vary from black, brown, green and yellow. Wild figs have both male and female flower parts but cultivated figs have no male flower parts and the fruit develop without fertilisation for Adriatic figs but need a fig wasp for Smyrna figs. There are several hundred cultivated kinds of fig.
Shrubs, 3-10 m tall, many branched. Bark grayish brown, distinctly lenticellate. Branchlets straight, strong. Stipules red, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 cm. Leaves alternate; petiole strong, 2-5 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, usually with 3-5 ovate lobes, 10-20 × 10-20 cm, thickly papery, abaxially densely covered with small cystoliths and short gray pubescence, adaxially scabrous, base ± cordate, margin irregularly toothed; basal lateral veins 2-4, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein. Figs axillary on normal leafy shoots, solitary, purplish red to yellow when mature, pear-shaped, large, 3-5 cm in diam., apical pore concave, sessile; involucral bracts ovate. Male flowers: near apical pore; calyx lobes 4 or 5; stamens (1 or)3(-5). Gall flowers: style lateral, short. Female flowers: calyx lobes 4 or 5; ovary ovoid, smooth; style lateral; stigma 2-branched, linear. Achenes lenslike. Fl. and fr. May-Jul.
Shrub or tree to 10 m high, deciduous. Leaves alternate, usually palmately lobed; lamina usually 3–5-lobed (there are cultivars/varieties with various leaf forms), c. 10–20 (–30) cm long and wide (often longer than wide), ± cordate at base, often minutely lobed or toothed on margin (often mainly in the upper parts of the main lobes), paler below, sparsely hairy mainly on veins (lightly scabrid above, tomentose below); petiole to 11 (–15) cm long, hairy; stipules to c. 1 cm long. Figs axillary, solitary, shortly pedicellate, ovoid to pyriform, c. 5–8 cm long, fleshy, green turning reddish or brownish to purple or sometimes almost black at maturity (also yellow forms); ostiole small, covered by bracts. Flowers unisexual; sepals 1–7. Male flowers with a stamen opposite each sepal. See also Messina (2015).
Shrubs or small trees , deciduous, to 5 m. Roots not adventitious. Bark grayish, slightly roughened. Branchlets pubescent. Leaves: stipules 1-1.2 cm; petiole 8-20 cm. Leaf blade obovate, nearly orbiculate, or ovate, palmately 3-5-lobed, 15-30 × 15-30 cm, base cordate, margins undulate or irregularly dentate, apex acute to obtuse; surfaces abaxially and adaxially scabrous-pubescent; basal veins 5 pairs; lateral veins irregularly spaced. Syconia solitary, sessile, green, yellow, or red-purple, pyriform, 5-8 cm, pubescent; peduncle ca. 1 cm; subtending bracts ovate, 1-2 mm; ostiole with 3 subtending bracts, umbonate.
Deciduous, dioecious shrub or small tree up to 10 m high. Young stems ± glabrous to moderately hairy, becoming glabrous. Lvs sparsely to moderately hairy above, often densely hispid below, usually deeply palmately 3-7-lobed and irregularly serrate or crenate, broadly ovate, obtuse to cordate and symmetric at base, c. 10-25 cm long; veins not prominently raised; petiole < blade; stipules 2 per node, glabrous, oblong, caducous. Infl. sparsely hairy, pyriform, green, shortly pedunculate. Syncarp green to purplish, 5-8 cm long; achenes irregularly ovoid to subglobose, c. 2 mm long.
Shrub or small tree. Blade broadly ovate to suborbicular, up to ca. 25 x 20 cm, apex obtuse, 3-5-lobed or-fid, base cordate; secondary veins 6-10 pairs. Figs pedunculate obovate to pyriform to globose, up to 5 cm in diam., becoming brownish-purple or yellowish.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing hemiepiphyte
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 3.0 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 6.0
Root system adventitious-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions. It is native to S.W. Asia. It can stand light frosts once hardened. Of the very large number of figs in PNG, this one is introduced. It suits highland areas in the tropics with a lower rainfall. It produces better if rain is less at flowering. Good summer heat is necessary for sugar-rich fruit. Plants do best in heavy soil in well prepared sites. It needs a neutral pH. It has some salt tolerance. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In Nepal it grows to about 1200 m altitude. In some places it can grow up to 2,300 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Sichuan. In Yunnan.
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Recorded from banks of watercourses and lakes, in swampy areas, gullies, grassland, shrubland, woodland, coastal beach, dune swale and cliff areas, near habitation, old gardens, roadsides, weedy areas.
Amongst rocks, in woods and scrub on hot dry soils.
Amongst rocks, in woods and scrub on hot dry soils.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 2-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 4-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

Fruit are eaten raw or cooked. They can be dried, preserved or used in jam. They are used in syrups, bread, pastries, and pies. The fruit are made into brandy and wine. Food is wrapped in the leaves while cooking to impart flavour. This is used with fish. The latex is used to coagulate milk for cheese and junket.
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Widely cultivated for its edible fruit.
Uses animal food beverage coffee substitute commercial drinks dye environmental use fodder food gene source material medicinal oil ornamental poison social use wood
Edible flowers fruits leaves saps
Therapeutic use Fever (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (bark), Eczema (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Acne vulgaris (flower), Intestinal diseases (flower), Abscess (fruit), Hair loss (fruit), Anemia (fruit), Anti-inflammatory agents (fruit), Arthritis (fruit), Constipation (fruit), Cough (fruit), Demulcents (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (fruit), Diet, food, and nutrition (fruit), Diuretics (fruit), Edema (fruit), Emollients (fruit), Fatigue (fruit), Furunculosis (fruit), Gout (fruit), Hemorrhage (fruit), Hemorrhoids (fruit), Inflammation (fruit), Intestinal diseases (fruit), Jaundice (fruit), Laxatives (fruit), Liver diseases (fruit), Neoplasms (fruit), Periodontal diseases (fruit), Pharyngitis (fruit), Skin diseases (fruit), Splenic diseases (fruit), Stomach diseases (fruit), Warts (fruit), Wounds and injuries (fruit), Rheumatoid arthritis (fruit), Anthelmintics (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Anti-inflammatory agents (leaf), Demulcents (leaf), Dermatitis (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), Emollients (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Analgesics (plant exudate), Anthelmintics (plant exudate), Anti-bacterial agents (plant exudate), Antifungal agents (plant exudate), Bites and stings (plant exudate), Exanthema (plant exudate), Furunculosis (plant exudate), Oral ulcer (plant exudate), Vitiligo (plant exudate), Warts (plant exudate), Acne vulgaris (root), Antifungal agents (root), Intestinal diseases (root), Vitiligo (root), Abscess (unspecified), Aperient (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Corn (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Demulcent (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Expectorant (unspecified), Flu (unspecified), Fumigant (unspecified), Gingivitis (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Measles (unspecified), Pectoral (unspecified), Pertussis (unspecified), Restorative (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Tumor(Uterus) (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Wart (unspecified), Emollient (unspecified), Digestive (unspecified), Disinfectant (unspecified), Pimple (unspecified), Rennet (unspecified), Scrofula (unspecified), Sore(Throat) (unspecified), Stomatitis (unspecified), Anemia (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Cathartics (unspecified), Constipation (unspecified), Hematologic diseases (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Liver diseases (unspecified), Lung diseases (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Ulcer (unspecified), Rheumatoid arthritis (unspecified), Cardiovascular system (whole plant excluding root)
Human toxicity weak toxic (leaf)
Animal toxicity weak toxic (leaf)

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds. It can be grown by stem cuttings. It can also be grown by budding and grafting. Smyrna figs need fig wasps for pollination. This is done by hanging male flowers near female flowers to attract the wasps. Adriatic figs develop fruit without pollination. Trees should be pruned for good production and easy harvesting.
Mode cuttings seedlings suckers
Germination duration (days) 15 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 26
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -12
Optimum temperature (C°) 16 - 26
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Ficus carica habit picture by Fabrice Rubio (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica habit picture by Janine Clarke (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica habit picture by Daniel de Lichana (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Ficus carica leaf picture by Yann Fichet (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica leaf picture by marras Evan (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica leaf picture by izzy oh (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Ficus carica flower picture by Yvon Salgues (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica flower picture by Sabaté Sant Jordi (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica flower picture by franco alafaci (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Ficus carica fruit picture by Gérard OLIVIER (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica fruit picture by Salvat María Ángela (cc-by-sa)
Ficus carica fruit picture by Dominique De Wilde (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Ficus carica world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, and United States of America

Conservation status

Ficus carica threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:852556-1
WFO ID wfo-0000687690
COL ID 6HVJJ
BDTFX ID 75134
INPN ID 98653
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ficus burdigalensis Ficus carica Ficus deliciosa Ficus silvestris Caprificus insectifera Caprificus leucocarpa Caprificus oblongata Caprificus pedunculata Caprificus rugosa Caprificus sphaerocarpa Ficus pachycarpa Ficus colombra Ficus communis Ficus globosa Ficus hypoleuca Ficus hyrcana Ficus kopetdagensis Ficus latifolia Ficus macrocarpa Ficus pedunculata Ficus polymorpha Ficus praecox Ficus regina Ficus colchica Ficus dottata Ficus albescens Ficus leucocarpa Ficus neapolitana Ficus rugosa Ficus carica var. caprificus Ficus carica var. domestica Ficus carica var. riparium Ficus caprificus

Lower taxons

Ficus carica subsp. rupestris Ficus carica 'Olympian' Ficus carica 'Beall' Ficus carica 'Champagne' Ficus carica 'Conadria' Ficus carica 'Hunt' Ficus carica 'Kearney' Ficus carica 'King' Ficus carica 'Little Miss Figgy' Ficus carica 'Little Ruby' Ficus carica 'LSU Gold' Ficus carica 'LSU Purple' Ficus carica 'O’Rourke' Ficus carica 'S-49' Ficus carica 'S-64' Ficus carica 'Sequoia' Ficus carica 'Tena' Ficus carica 'Tiger' Ficus carica 'Violetta'