Ficus trigona is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...

. It is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Characteristics

''Ficus trigona'' typically starts life as an epiphyte on another tree. Eventually the plant will send roots to the ground in order to seek more nutrients, however, these roots may completely encircle and constrict the host tree reducing the tree's ability to grow. This in addition to the vigorous growth of the ''Ficus trigona'' may lead to the plant outcompeteing and killing the host tree. At maturity the tree can grow up to 35 metres tall, with a trunk width of up to 75 cm. It is usually found in or near swamps, on the sides of rivers, or on coastal plains. The tree is sometimes sought for use as medicine, but seldom has any other use.

References

trigona ''Trigona'' is one of the largest genera of stingless bees, comprising about 32 species, exclusively occurring in the New World, and formerly including many more subgenera than the present assemblage; many of these former subgenera have been el ...

Trees of Peru Trees of Brazil Trees of Bolivia Trees of Venezuela Trees of Colombia {{Moraceae-stub