Species or subspecies of Afrotropical fig From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wonderboom (Ficus salicifolia) is an evergreen fig species that ranges from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands northwards to tropical East Africa.[1] It grows especially on outcrops, rocky hillsides and along cliffs fringing water courses and may rarely[2] grow up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, and acquire a leafy spreading crown.[1]
| Ficus salicifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Pretoria, South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Genus: | Ficus |
| Species: | F. salicifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Ficus salicifolia | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The elliptic-oblong, leathery leaves of about 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) long, are carried on long petioles, and are often noticeably folded along the midrib. The leaf sides are almost parallel and clear net-veining is visible on the lamina.[2] Leaves are brittle and have a characteristic smell when broken or bruised. The leaves are toxic and cause nervous disorders or even deaths in cattle.[3]
The small, smooth figs are carried on short stalks and measure about 4–6 mm (5⁄32–1⁄4 in) in diameter. They are massed along the branchlets in the leaf axils,[2] and change from white to yellowish-red and spotted as they ripen.[1] The figs are eaten by birds and mammals.[3]
It may be confused with the similar but deciduous Ficus ingens which grows in similar habitat. The latter has somewhat larger, white to purple figs, and deep red fresh foliage.[1] The Wonderboom fig is sometimes deemed a race of Ficus cordata,[4] i.e. F. c. subsp. salicifolia (Vahl) C.C.Berg, though the latter species has yellowish sessile figs and a more westerly distribution.
It occurs in the Saharo-montane woodlands of the Tassili n'Ajjer, the Hoggar, Aïr and Tibesti mountains, the Kerkour Nourene massif and at Elba mountain in the Red Sea Hills.[5] It is widespread in the eastern Afrotropics, from southern Arabia and Socotra to the KwaZulu-Natal midlands of South Africa.[6][7]
The species is named after the Wonderboom grove in Pretoria, that has spread from a central bole that was carbon dated to about 1,000 years old.[1][2] The Wonderboom is an extraordinary specimen for its size and structure, and its drooping branches are continuing to root and form new trees.[2] Their branches reach about 23 metres (75 ft) into the sky, and one of the boles has a girth of 5.5 metres (18 ft).[8]
The pollinator wasp is Platyscapa awekei Wiebes., while non-pollinating wasps include Otitesella serrata Mayr and Otitesella pseudoserrata van Noort.[7]
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