Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Ficus palmata

Common name:	Wild Fig	Family:	Moraceae
Author:	Forssk.	Botanical references:	272
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The sap and the half-ripe fruits are said to be poisonous.
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat:	Occasionally found in forests, more commonly around villages, in waste ground, fields etc[194]. Open places, generally along the banks of streams at elevations of 600 - 2700 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	F. pseudocarica[B,G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Punjab Fig [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	palmata = hand like
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Urticales. Mulberry family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 9m. It is frost tender. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen in August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw. Sweet and succulent[2]. A very tasty fruit[194], it is often dried for later use. The fruit is about 2.5cm in diameter and annual yields from wild trees is about 25kg[194]. The fruit contains about 6% sugars, 1.7% protein, 0.9% ash and 0.2% pectin[194]. Low in vitamin C, about 3.3mg per 100g[194].
The unripe fruits and young growth are cooked and eaten as a vegetable[272]. They are boiled, the water is removed by squeezing and they are then fried. a nice green vegetable[194]. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Demulcent Emollient Laxative Poultice Warts.

The fruit is demulcent, emollient, laxative and poultice[194, 240]. It is used as a part of the diet in the treatment of constipation and diseases of the lungs and bladder[240].
The sap is used in the treatment of warts.
The latex of the plant is used to take out spines lodged deeply in the flesh[272].

Other Uses

The pliable wood is of little value but has been used for making hoops, garlands, ornaments etc.

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained medium to light loam and some lime rubble incorporated into the soil. A heavy wet soil tends to encourage excessive plant growth at the expense of fruit.
Not very hardy in Britain it is best on a south or south-west facing wall in order to provide winter protection and more heat in the summer for ripening the fruit. It would probably succeed in a sheltered position in the open in the milder areas of Britain. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
This species is closely related to the common fig, Ficus carica, and is not perhaps specifically distinct. It has been recommended for growing in areas where the climate is too wet for common figs since it fruits during the monsoon season in the Himalayas. However, it probably requires the fig-wasp in order to pollinate the flowers and so is unlikely to fruit in areas such as Britain that are too cold for the fig-wasp to survive.
The fruits are often sold in local markets in the Himalayas[194]. There is a potential for commercial cultivation[194].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and overwinter the young plants in a greenhouse for at least their first year. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts and give some protection for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of mature wood 10 - 12cm with a heel, winter in a frame. Fairly easy, but the cuttings must be kept frost free. It is probably best if the cuttings are put in individual pots[78].
Layering.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Moraceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[194] Parmar. C. and Kaushal. M.K. Wild Fruits of the Sub-Himalayan Region. Kalyani Publishers. New Delhi. 1982
Contains lots of information on about 25 species of fruit-bearing plants of the Himalayas, not all of them suitable for cool temperate zones.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Ficus carica

T.H. Culhane (tculhane@ucla.edu) Tue Jun 06 22:32:52 2000

Hi, I'm fascinated by your website as it provides me useful information for my doctoral dissertation on reviving neo-traditional agroforestry resources of the Maya people.

I have been working with the edible leaves, fruit and seeds and sap of Brosimum alicastrum, the Maya breadnut tree (Moraceae) and was intrigued to note that the leaves look extremely similar to those of the ornamental ficus tree (Ficus benjamina). Recently I traveled to the Kew Gardens and was discussing with one of the curators the issue of edible leaves in the Moraceae while munching on some of the leaves from their single specimen of Brosimum (found in the Palmhouse in the Central American section).

Since I have been eating fresh and prepared Brosimum leaves for the past year in Guatemala whilst working with the Maya indigenous groups I have become curious whether Ficus benjamina leaves might not been another edible but underutilized resource. This morning, after searching for contraindications, I tested a single small ficus leaf and so far have experienced no ill effects. But before continuing with this experiment, I would like to know if you have ever heard of any indication that Ficus benjamina leaves might be toxic.

Thanks for your help.

T.H. Culhane TheRainforest.com

Cross references: Plants: Ficus carica. Genera: Ficus.

Ficus carica

T.H. Culhane (tculhane@ucla.edu) Tue Jun 13 20:06:41 2000

Since writing I've learned the same about the sap of Ficus benjamina (dermatitis causing). Since there is sap at the base of the leaves, I'm staying clear from it for now.

Cross references: Plants: Ficus carica. Genera: Ficus.

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Ficus+palmata
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Ficus+palmata

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Pathways Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Privacy Policy :: Philosophy :: The Witchs Haven

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.