''Ficus lutea'' is a medium to large sized deciduous tree in the family
Moraceae
Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...
. It is commonly known as the giant-leaved fig or Lagos rubbertree. These trees occur from the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
to
Tropical Africa
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
.
Description
''Ficus lutea'' is a tree that grows up to in height, its crown is large and spreading, while the bark is brownish to dark grey; when in open areas, the trunk is commonly short with
buttressed roots but in forest environments, the trunks tend to be longer.
Leaves of ''Ficus lutea'' clusters at the end of branches, reaches up to in length and in width, the outline of leaves are ovate to elliptical with an acuminate apex and the base is cordate or rounded, the surface is glossy . Figs borne in leaf axils or on bare twigs below the leaves, they reach up to in diameter and are densely hairy especially when young.
Distribution and habitat
The species occurs in
riparian forest
A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...
s, woodlands and evergreen forests in West, East and Southern Africa.
Chemistry
Chemical compounds isolated from the extracts of the plant include
α-Tocopherol,
epiafzelechin, phytol,
beta-sitosterol,
lupeol,
b-amyrin, and b-amyrin acetate.
References
* Pooley, E. (1993). ''The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei''. .
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3071419
lutea