Ficus variegata Blume

Deciduous tree up to 40 m tall, becoming buttressed. Leafy twigs 2-5 mm thick, glabrous or sparsely white appressed-puberulous; internodes hollow or solid; periderm flaking off. Leaves spirally arranged; lamina ovate to elliptic to oblong, 6-20(-35) by 2-10(-15) cm, symmetric; subcoriaceous to chartaceous (or to coriaceous), apex acuminate to subacute or obtuse, base cordate to subcordate to obtuse (or to cuneate to subattenuate), margin coarsely dentate to entire; upper surface glabrous or puberulous on the main veins, smooth, lower surface minutely appressed-puberulous (or patent-puberulous) on the veins; cystoliths only beneath lateral veins (3-)4-9(-14) pairs, the basal pair up to 1/4-2/3 the length of the lamina, often unequal in length, branched, some or none of the other lateral veins furcate far from the margin; tertiary venation scalariform, sometimes loosely so and almost reticulate; waxy glands in (± clear) slit-shaped extensions of the axils of the (main) basal lateral veins; petiole 2-14 cm long, glabrous or appressed-puberulous, the epidermis flaking off; stipules 0.5-1.2(-2) cm long, glabrous (and then often partly ‘corky’ and flaking off) or yellowish appressed-puberulous, at least at the base and/or the apex, caducous. Figs ramiflorous to cauliflorous on tuberculate spurs or clustered sparingly branched, up to 7 cm long leafless branchlets on older wood, down to the trunk; peduncle (0.5-)1-6 cm long; basal bracts 3, 0.5-2.5 mm long, (obliquely) verticillate, sometimes ± scattered, persistent (or caducous); receptacle subglobose to pyriform to ellipsoid, (1-)1.5-2.5 cm diam. when dry, (1.5-)2-3.5(-5) cm diam. when fresh, up to 0.8 cm long stipitate or non-stipitate, (sub)glabrous or minutely puberulous, pink to red (or sometimes green) at maturity, when dry sometimes faintly ribbed, the inner surface often with low flower-bearing projections, apex ± concave to flat or slightly convex, ostiole 3-4 mm diam., ± prominent; wall up to 8 mm thick when dry; internal bristles usually absent. Tepals of pistillate flowers free or basally connate, lanceolate or spathulate, entire. Styles glabrous. Fruits smooth.

A tropical plant. They occur in the Philippines in lower forested regions from Luzon to the provinces of Mindanao. In Australia they are in the tropical rainforests and in coastal districts. Trees demand humidity and light. They are often on well drained soils at the edge of the rainforest. It grows in valleys at low and middle altitudes in S China. In Indonesia trees grow up to 1,500 m altitude. In XTBG Yunnan.

The freshly cut stems yield drinking water. The fruit are edible but not attractive. Young fruit can be used cooked. The young leaves are eaten cooked. The sap is used as a food additive in palm starch.

It can probably be grown from seed or by aerial layering. It seeds and grows naturally under the right conditions.