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Ficus religiosa Linnaeus

(Bo tree, Bodhi, Peepul, Sacred fig)

 

(Life; Embryophyta (plants); Angiospermae (flowering plants); Eudicotyledons; Order: Rosales; Family: Moraceae; Genus: Ficus; Subgenus: Urostigma; Section: Malvanthera; Subsection: Malvantherae; Subsection: Urostigma)

Distribution

 India to southern China, Vietnam and northern Thailand. Cultivated throughout South East Asia and the Middle East. Also introduced and cultivated in the Afrotropical region: South Africa, Zambia.

Biology

Pollinator: Platyscapa quadraticeps (Mayr,1885)

Habitat

Tall deciduous strangler up to 30 meters. Does not form aerial roots. Naturally occurring in submontane forest up to 1200m. Culturally important, revered for its religious significance by Buddhists and Hindus.

References

Berg, C.C.  & Corner, E.J.H. 2005. Moraceae - Ficus. Flora Malesiana Series I (Seed Plants) Volume 17/Part 2. National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Leiden.

Burrows, J. & Burrows, S. 2003. Figs of southern & south-central Africa. Umdaus Press, Hatfield. 379 pp.

Corner, E.J.H. 1965. Checklist of Ficus in Asia and Australasia with keys to identification. The Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 21: 1-186.

van Noort, S. & Rasplus J.Y. 2010. Order Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea associated with figs (families Agaonidae & Pteromalidae). Arthropod fauna of the United Arab Emirates 3: 325-355.

Credits

Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum).

Web authors Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

and Jean-Yves Rasplus (INRA, France)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. & Rasplus, JY. 2024. Figweb: figs and fig wasps of the world. URL: www.figweb.org(Accessed on <day-month-year>).

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