Ficus sycomorus gnaphalocarpa

Distribution

From South Africa and Namibia to Ethiopia and west to Senegal.

Biology

Pollinators:

Ceratosolen arabicus Mayr

Ceratosolen galili Wiebes is a cuckoo.

Non-pollinating fig wasps:

Apocrypta longitarsus Mayr, 1906

Sycophaga gigas (Mayr, 1906)

Sycophaga gracilis (Wiebes,1967)

Sycophaga sycomori (Linnaeus,1758)

Sycophaga valentinae Grandi,1952

Eukoebelea sycomori Wiebes, 1967

Sycoscapteridea bambeyi (Risbec, 1951)

Ficomila gambiensis (Risbec, 1955)

Syceurytoma ficus Bouček, 1981

Sycophila naso Bouček, 1981

Habitat

In woodland, sometimes near streams, but more often in hilly country or sometimes open grassland.

Frugivores

Birds, bats and monkeys feed on the ripe figs facilitating seed dispersal.

African Green Pigeon feeding on figs of Ficus sycomorus in South Africa (Photograph © Duncan Butchart).

Insects

The larval stages of a variety of insects feed on the leaves or figs of Ficus sycomorus including caterpillars of butterflies and moths, some of which have developed remarkable strategies to overcome the sticky latex contained in the leaves. Other insect larvae bore into the branches feeding on the wood or suck sap from leaves or figs.

Asota speciosa (latex sabotage by the Speciose Tiger moth caterpillar)

Myrina dermaptera (Lesser fig-tree blue, Scarce fig-tree blue)

Myrina silenus (Common fig-tree blue)

Beetle larvae of the Fig tree borer beetle Phyrneta spinator (Coleoptera) bore into the branches and trunks often targeting water stressed, damaged or older trees

Leaf Hopper bugs Hilda patruelis (Hemiptera) suck the sap from figs and are tended for honeydew by pugnaceous ants Anoplolepis custodiens or Pheidole megacephala. By patrolling figs with bugs the ants reduce the impact of parasitoid fig wasps (which oviposit through the fig wall) on pollinator larvae and hence increase the reproductive fitness of the tree.

Description

(after C.C. Berg in Berg & Wiebes, 1992)

Biological form		Tree up to 15 m tall, terrestrial
Leaves	shape & colour	elliptic to subcordiform, chartaceous, apex rounded, base cordate to rounded, both surfaces scabrous to puberulous
	size	14x10 cm
	lateral veins	4-7 pairs, basal pair branched, reaching the margin at or below the middle of the lamina
	petiole	0.5-3 cm long, puberulous
Stipules		0.5-1 cm long, (sub)puberulous, caducous
Figs	position	on 20 cm long branchlets on the branches (ssp. sycomorus) or in the leaf axils (ssp. gnaphalocarpa)
	shape	globose to subpyriform, Æ 5 cm (fresh), (sub)puberulous
	peduncle	0.3-0.6 cm long
	basal bracts	2.5-3 mm long

References	Berg, C.C. 1986. The Ficus species (Moraceae) of Madagascar and the Comore Islands. Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle d’Histoire Naturelle. Paris (4), 8: 17-55. Berg, C.C. 1988. New taxa and combinations in Ficus (Moraceae) in Africa. Kew Bulletin 43: 77- 97. Berg, C.C. 1989. Moraceae. In: R.M. Polhill (ed.) Flora of Tropical East Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. Berg, C.C. 1990. Distribution of African taxa of Ficus (Moraccae). [Proc. 12th AETFAT]. Mitt. inst. Allg. Bot. Hamburg 23: 401-405. Berg, C.C. 1990. Annotated check-list of the Ficus species of the African floristic region, with special reference and a key to the taxa of southern Africa. Kirkia, 13: 253-291. Berg, C.C. 1991. Moraceae. In: E. Launert & G.Y. Pope (eds) Flora Zambesiaca 9, 6. Natural History Museum, London. Berg, C.C. & Hijman, M.E.E. 1989. Chapter 11. Ficus. Flora of Tropical East Africa (ed. R.M. Polhill). 43-86. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. Berg, C.C., Hijman, M.E.E. & Weerdenburg, J.C.A. 1984. Moracées (incl. Cécropiacées). Flore du Gabon 26: 1–276. Berg, C.C., Hijman, M.E.E. & Weerdenburg, J.C.A. 1985. Moracées (incl. Cécropiacées). Flore du Cameroun 28: 1–298. Berg, C.C. & Wiebes, J.T. 1992. African fig trees and fig wasps. Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen. Amsterdam, 1-298 pp. Burrows, J. & Burrows, S. 2003. Figs of southern & south-central Africa. Umdaus Press, Hatfield. 379 pp.
Credits	Photographs and distribution maps © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa) or © Jean-Yves Rasplus (INRA). Insect images © Hamish Robertson (Iziko Museums of South Africa). Butterfly images © Steve Woodhall.
	Ficus tiliifolia Baker