bio.wikisort.org - Plant

The Laurel fig (Ficus ilicina) is a species of rock-splitting[2] fig that is native to the semi-desert regions of southwestern Africa. It is only found on rocks,[3] up to an altitude of 1,300 m (4,300 ft).[4]

Laurel fig
In the Naukluft, Namibia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Subgenus:	F. subg. Urostigma
Species:	F. ilicina
Binomial name
Ficus ilicina (Sond.) Miq. 1864
Synonyms
Ficus guerichiana Engl. Urostigma ilicinum Sond.[1]

Description

It is generally a scrambler on rocks, but also a medium-sized shrub, or rarely a large tree of 5 m (16 ft) tall or more.[3] It is mostly evergreen, though a few are bare in spring, just before new foliage emerges. The elliptic leaves are more than twice as long as they are wide, shiny above and matte below.[3] The sessile or stalked figs are produced in the summer months. They are about 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter and appear in the leaf axils near the branch tips.[3]

Range

It occurs in southwestern Angola, the Namibian escarpment and Khomas hochland, and in the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Species associations

The pollinating wasp is Elisabethiella enriquesi (Grandi).[4] The figs are eaten by birds and people.[3]

References

External links

• Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Ficus ilicina". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.

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