Botanical Name |
Ficus sur |
Other names |
Broom-cluster fig; besemtrosvy (Afrikaans); Ficus capensis |
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Moraceae |
Dimensions |
Large tree, typically over 10m, but can be over 30m; |
Description of Stem |
Smooth, light grey with small fig-bearing branches |
Description of Leaves |
Ovate, green to greyish, occasionally hairy, undulating, three veins from base; base lobed, variable; apex tapering; young leaves red and shiny; margin varying from entire to unevenly serrated, petiole often 5cm, dry stipules on younger leaves |
Description of flowers |
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Description of seed/fruit |
Characteristic clusters of green figs on trunk and branches, turning reddish and soft, can appear at different times of the year and may bear repeatedly per annum, depending on rain |
Description of roots |
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Variation |
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Propagation and Cultivation |
Grows easily from truncheons, not easy from seed; |
Tolerances |
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Uses |
Popular for large gardens, attractive shade tree; fruit attracts birds; jam can be made of the fruit |
Ecological rarity |
Common |
Pests and Diseases |
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Other |
Attracts many birds when bearing fruit, notably the grey loerie and the green pigeon |
Location |
Forests and close to rivers and water |
Distribution |
Western and Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo |
Country |
South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana |