''Ficus tinctoria'', also known as dye fig, or humped fig is a hemiepiphytic tree of genus ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

''. It is also one of the species known as '' strangler fig''. It is found in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and the South Pacific islands. It grows in moist valleys. Palms are favorable host species. Root systems of dye fig can come together to be self sustaining but the epiphyte usually falls if the host tree dies or rots away. In

it is recorded as a medium-sized tree with smooth, oval green leaves. It is found often growing in rocky areas or over boulders. The leaves are asymmetrical. The small rust brown fruit of the dye fig are the source of a red dye used in traditional fabric making in parts of

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The fruit is also edible and constitute as a major food source in the low-lying

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

s of

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...

and

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

Subspecies

''Ficus tinctoria'' subsp. ''gibbosa'' is an accepted subspecies.

Gallery

File:Ficus tinctoria leaves and mature fruit. Dededo, Guam.jpg, Leaves and mature fruit File:Ficus tinctoria branch with leaf arrangement. Dededo, Guam.jpg, Branch leaf pattern File:Ficus tinctoria, Ficus gibbosa - ഇത്തി 05.jpg, Mature tree File:Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa.jpg, Fruits, asymmetric leaf with vein offset to one side.

References

External links

Cook Islands Biodiversity : Ficus tinctoria - Dye Fig
tinctoria Ficus tinctoria Micronesian cuisine Polynesian cuisine Flora of the Pacific Flora of Malesia Flora of Japan Flora of China Flora of Taiwan Flora of Australia Austronesian agriculture {{Moraceae-stub