Big-leaved Fig

Scientific Name : Ficus virens Aiton
Common Name : Big-leaved Fig
Chinese Name : 黃葛樹, 大葉榕, 綠黃葛樹, 黃桷樹
Family : MORACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins Provinces of South, Southwest and Southeast China. Also distributed in northern part of Australia and countries in Southeast Asia.
Ecology It is a native species in Hong Kong. According to some entomological studies, 11 species of fig wasps classified under 7 families share symbiotic or parasitic relationships with the Big-leaved Fig in its fig. An average of around 50 wasps can be founded in each fig, sometimes their population even exceeding 100.
Applications Since the crown of Big-leaved Fig is broad, which provides shade for pedestrians, the species is widely cultivated by roads and has become a common street tree. Its timber can be used in sculpture. A research revealed that natural antioxidants can be extracted from the leaves of Big-leaved Fig.
Meanings of names The local people in Chongqing of Sichuan believe that tree names should be entitled by Chinese characters with the radical “wood (木)”. Therefore, they replaced the word “ge (葛)” with “jue (桷)”, which share the same pronunciation in the local dialect, constituting the Chinese name “Huangjueshu (黃桷樹)”. Moreover, the species is the City Tree of Chongqing.

Traits for identification

Growing habit Deciduous or semi-deciduous tree, entire plant contains milky sap.
Height To 18 m.
Root With buttress roots or prop roots, aerial root not well develop.
Stems Bark of trunk yellowish brown.
Leaves Ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, thinly leathery to rigidly papery, apex acuminate. Lateral veins 7 to 10 pairs, prominent on the abaxial surface conspicuously.
Flowers Fig (as hypanthodium structurally) globose, yellowish white, sessile. Axillary on leafy branchlets, solitary or paired. Or in clusters on leafless older branchlets.
Fruits Fig (as syconium with numerous achenes structurally), purplish red when mature.
Achenes inside wrinkled on surface.
Flowering period April to October in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period April to October in Hong Kong.
Overview of <em>Ficus virens</em> Aiton.
Trunk of <em>Ficus virens</em> Aiton.
Bark of trunk yellowish brown.
Ovate-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, apex acuminate, lateral veins 7 to 10 pairs.
Figs globose, yellowish white, sessile. Clusters on leafless older branchlets.
Figs purplish red when mature.
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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3484

Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Ficus virens Aiton
― Plants of the World Online : Ficus virens Aiton

Reference