''Ficus vasta'' ( am, ዋርካ; warka) is a
fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...
found in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
. The tree is a species of sycamore-fig.
Description
''Ficus vasta'' is a large tree, with a massive trunk, and spreading branches whose tips form an inverted bowl up to 50m in diameter. It reaches a height of 25m. The trunk is smooth and grey, and is commonly buttressed. The bark is smooth and grey, except on young branches where it is yellow-white-brown, and flaking when dry. The leaves are elliptical, reaching 25 x 20 cm, hairy, and rough to the touch.
They are often distinguished from other species of fig by its large heart-shaped leaves and massive trunk.
The figs grow in clusters, are 2 cm in diameter, and spherical. When ripe they are green with pale green spots. They are hairy and their opening is clear.
''Ficus vasta'' grows as an
epiphyte or as a
chasmophyte
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
. As the young tree grows, it sends down roots which thicken and become trunk-like, often fusing together and completely engulfing the trunk of the tree or rock it grew on. This process often kills the host tree and completely engulfs or covers the rock face.
Uses
The figs are edible, being collected by children. They are also eaten by sheep, goats, monkeys (including baboons) and birds. The figs can be eaten right off the tree, or when half-dry, or when dry. Dry figs are usually stored and eaten as needed.
[
]
Ecology
''Ficus vasta'' grows in or near the Horn of Africa. It is primarily endemic to Ethiopia and Yemen, but can also be found in the Sudan, Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, and into Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
and Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
in the African Great Lakes
The African Great Lakes ( sw, Maziwa Makuu; rw, Ibiyaga bigari) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the second-largest fresh water lake in th ...
region. The tree grows along rivers forming stands or thickets. Additionally, it is found in dry savannah, and grows at elevations between 1,400m and 2,500m. It is not cultivated under domestication, and is disappearing due to human pressure, mainly in its use as firewood.[
]
See also
* Strangler fig
References
Sources
* 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). roc. 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.
* Bouček Z., A. Watsham & J.T. Wiebes, 1981. The fig wasp fauna of the receptacles of Ficus thonningii (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea). Tijdschrift Voor Entomologie, 124(5): 149-233.
* Burrows, J. & Burrows, S. 2003. Figs of southern & south-central Africa. Umdaus Press, Hatfield. 379 pp.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15484939
vasta
Taxa named by Peter Forsskål
Flora of Ethiopia
Flora of Yemen
Flora of Sudan