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Ficus carica

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Ficus carica L.

Family Name: Moraceae
Common Name: Common Fig, Anjeer, 无花果

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form Tree (Small (6m-15m)), Shrub
Lifespan (in Singapore) Perennial

Biogeography

Native Distribution Middle East, Western Asia
Native Habitat Terrestrial
Preferred Climate Zone Temperate, Mediterranean

Description and Ethnobotany

Trunk The bark is smooth, silvery gray.
Foliage Fragrant, alternate, thickly papery; stipules 1-1.2cm; petiole  2-5cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, deeply lobed with 3-5 lobes, irregularly toothed on the margins, rough on the upper surface, soft hair on the underside.
Flowers Blooms inside the infructescence, small and inconspicuous.
Fruit The fruit, which is called anjeer, axillary on normal leafy shoots, solitary, purplish red to yellow when mature, usually pear-shaped and up to 5cm in diameter.
Ethnobotanical Uses Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits
Food (Fruit or Vegetable): The plant is cultivated for it sweet and succulent fruits in many countries. It can be eaten raw or cook. The fruit is often dried for for later use and this dried fruit is a major item of commerce.
Medicinal: A decoction of the leaves is stomachic. The leaves are used as a steam bath for painful or swollen piles. Syrup of figs, made from the fruit, is well known and effective gentle laxative that is also suitable for the young and very old.

Landscaping Features

Landscape Uses Parks & Gardens

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference Full Sun
Water Preference Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate Moderate
Rootzone Tolerance Drought Tolerant, Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Propagation Method Seed, Stem Cutting (Hardwood)

Foliar

Foliage Retention Deciduous
Mature Foliage Colour(s) Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s) Hairy / Hirsute, Leathery, Thick
Foliar Modification Stipule
Foliar Type Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem Alternate
Foliar Shape(s) Non-Palm Foliage (Ovate)
Foliar Margin Palmately Lobed

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality Unisexual Flowers , Monoecious
Flower Colour(s) White

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s) Purple
Mature Fruit Texture(s) Rough
Fruit Classification Multiple Fruit
Seed Quantity Per Fruit Numerous (>20)

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID 29858
Species ID 4167
Flora Disclaimer The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.
Species record last updated on: 22 February 2022.
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