Ficus uncinata
Ficus uncinata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Moraceae |
Genus: | Ficus |
Species: | F. uncinata
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Binomial name | |
Ficus uncinata | |
Synonyms | |
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Ficus uncinata, also known as earth fig in English and as ara entimau in Iban, is a species of flowering plant, a fruit tree in the fig family, that is native to Southeast Asia.[1]
Description
[edit]The species grows as a shrub or small tree to 8 m in height, with a bole of up to 2 m, from which stolons extend along the ground surface for up to 10 m. The hairy, greenish-brown leaves are 21–27 cm long by 10–11 cm wide. The inflorescences occur along the stolons. The pink, red or brownish-purple fruits are 2–4 cm in diameter, and are covered by spine-like bracts.[1]
The ground-level figs are eaten and the seeds dispersed by pigs, deer, ground squirrels and rats. The function of the bracts is to prevent the fruits being swallowed whole by ground-level seed predators, such as pheasants and partridges.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The species is found in Borneo and possibly in Sumatra. It occurs along streams and in hill areas and mountain forest up to an elevation of 2,000 m.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Lamb, Anthony (2019). A guide to wild fruits of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications (Borneo). p. 194. ISBN 978-983-812-191-0.
- ^ Phillipps, Quentin; Phillipps, Karen (2016). Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and their Ecology. Oxford, UK: John Beaufoy Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-906780-92-0.