Ficus polita

Ficus polita, the Heart-leaved fig, is a species of fig that is native to forests of tropical Africa,

Ficus polita
Specimen in Pretoria, South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Moraceae
Genus:
Ficus
Species:
F. polita
Binomial name
Ficus polita
Vahl, 1805

Distribution

The tree is found in Lowland rainforest and gallery forest (west and central Africa), coastal & dry forest (east and southern African coast), and on Madagascar. It grows up to elevations of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).[1]

Description

Ficus polita is similar to the Pondoland fig, (Ficus bizanae), an endemic tropical forest species in South Africa. The leaves have entire margins and are often heart-shaped, with the tip acuminate.[2]

The figs are borne on old wood, in small clusters on stumpy branchlets.[2]

The pollinating wasp is Courtella bekiliensis bekiliensis (Risbec) in Madagascar, and Courtella bekiliensis bispinosa (Wiebes) on the African mainland.[1]

  • Bark texture
  • Leaf shape
  • Fig clusters
  • Fig
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References
  1. van Noort, Simon; Rasplus, Jean-Yves. "Ficus polita polita Vahl 1805". Figweb. Iziko Museums. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. Palmer, Eve (1977). A Field Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa. London, Johannesburg: Collins. p. 89. ISBN 0-620-05468-9.
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