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Ficus rokko
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Photo: Bart Wursten
Near Eden Lodge, Vumba
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| Synonyms: |
Ficus thonningii Blume p.p. |
| Common names: | Giant forest fig (English) |
| Frequency: | Local and occasional |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Large evergreen tree, up to 40 m high, starting as a hemi-epiphytic strangler but eventually free-standing. Stem often with numerous aerial roots eventually forming supporting pillars. Bark fairly smooth, pale to dark grey, sometimes mottled. Leaves thinly leathery and stiff, elliptic or slightly obovate, 5-12 cm long, dull glossy dark-green above, paler beneath, hairless on both surfaces; lateral veins and midrib raised and yellowish above not raised beneath, finer veins indistinct; apex rounded or finely pointed; margin entire; petiole 14-32 mm long, hairless. Fruit sessile, singly or in pairs in the leaf axils, sometimes below the current leaves, mostly globose, 10-15 mm in diameter, hairless, yellowish-green with small warts, bright red or pinkish when ripe; ostiole not or slightly raised. |
| Notes: | Similar to Ficus burkei and mainly differing in darker, completely hairless leaves, which are broader, widest in the middle and more rounded at both base and apex. It generally becomes a much larger tree with numerous aerial roots and is more restricted to high rainfall areas of woodland and forest. |
| Derivation of specific name: | rokko: a vernacular name used by the Niam-niam in northeastern DRC, where it was first collected. |
| Habitat: | In montane evergreen forest, riverine forest and occasionally in high rainfall Brachystegia woodland. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Figs borne at most times of the year on different specimens. |
| Worldwide distribution: | From Guinea to Angola, DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Also on Sâo Tomé and Cape Verde. |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Images last updated: | Friday 22 June 2012 |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2003). Figs of Southern and South-Central Africa Umdaus Press, South Africa Pages 150 - 152. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 215. Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 87. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 147. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 89. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 63. Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Congdon, C., Branch, B., Collins, S., Curran, M., Dowsett, R,J., Fishpool, L., Francisco, J., Harris, Kopp, M. & de Sousa, C. (2012). Mt Mabu, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London Page 74. |
Other sources of information about Ficus rokko:
Our websites:
Flora of Malawi: Ficus rokkoFlora of Mozambique: Ficus rokko
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ficus rokkoBHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ficus rokko
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ficus rokko
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ficus rokko
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ficus rokko
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ficus rokko
JSTOR Plant Science: Ficus rokko
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ficus rokko
Plants of the World Online: Ficus rokko
Tropicos: Ficus rokko
Wikipedia: Ficus rokko
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