Ficus (/faks/[2] or /fks/[3][4]) is a genus of about 850 species of woody

trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae.

Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the
tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone.
The common fg (F. carica) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia
and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has
been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as
figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually
of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are
extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of
considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of
worship and for their many practical uses.
Ficus is a pan-tropical genus of trees, shrubs and vines occupying a wide
variety of ecological niches; most are evergreen, but some deciduous
species are endemic to areas outside of the tropics and to higher
elevations.[5] Fig species are characterized by their unique inflorescence
and distinctive pollination syndrome, which utilizes wasp species belonging
to the Agaonidae family for pollination.
The specifc identifcation of many of the species can be difficult, but fgs as
a group are relatively easy to recognize.[6] Many have aerial roots and a
distinctive shape or habit, and their fruits distinguish them from other plants.
The fg fruit is an enclosed inflorescence, sometimes referred to as a
syconium, an urn-like structure lined on the inside with the fg's tiny flowers.
The unique fg pollination system, involving tiny, highly specifc wasps,
known as fg wasps that enter via ostiole these sub-closed inflorescences
to both pollinate and lay their own eggs, has been a constant source of
inspiration and wonder to biologists.[7] Finally, there are three vegetative
traits that together are unique to fgs. All fgs possess a white to yellowish
latex, some in copious quantities; the twig has paired stipules or a circular
stipule scar if the stipules have fallen off; and the lateral veins at the base of
the leaf are steep, forming a tighter angle with the midrib than the other
lateral veins, a feature referred to as "tri-veined".

There are no unambiguous older fossils of Ficus. However, current

molecular clock estimates indicate that Ficus is a relatively ancient genus
being at least 60 million years old,[7] and possibly as old as 80 million years.
The main radiation of extant species, however, may have taken place more
recently, between 20 and 40 million years ago.
Some better-known species that represent the diversity of the genus
include the Common Fig, which is a small temperate deciduous tree whose
fngered fg leaf is well known in art and iconography; the weeping fg
(F. benjamina) a hemi-epiphyte with thin tough leaves on pendulous stalks
adapted to its rain forest habitat; the rough-leaved sandpaper fgs from
Australia; the creeping fg (F. pumila), a vine whose small, hard leaves form
a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls.
Moreover, fgs with different plant habits have undergone adaptive radiation
in different biogeographic regions, leading to very high levels of alpha
diversity. In the tropics, it is quite common to fnd that Ficus is the most
species-rich plant genus in a particular forest. In Asia as many as 70 or
more species can co-exist.[8] Ficus species richness declines with an
increase in latitude in both hemispheres.[9][10]

Ecology and uses[edit]

A Common fg's syconium (fruit)

Cut through ripe fg

Figs are keystone species in many rainforest ecosystems. Their fruit are a

key resource for some frugivores including fruit bats, capuchin monkeys,
langurs and mangabeys. They are even more important for some birds.
Asian barbets, pigeons, hornbills, fg-parrots and bulbuls are examples of
taxa that may almost entirely subsist on fgs when these are in plenty. Many
Lepidoptera caterpillars feed on fg leaves, for example several Euploea
species (Crow butterflies), the plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus), the giant
swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), the brown awl (Badamia exclamationis),
and Chrysodeixis eriosoma, Choreutidae and Copromorphidae moths. The
citrus long-horned beetle (Anoplophora chinensis), for example, has larvae
that feed on wood, including that of fg trees; it can become a pest in fg
plantations. Similarly, the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is
frequently found as a pest on fgs grown as potted plants and is spread
through the export of these plants to other localities. For a list of other
diseases common to fg trees, see List of foliage plant diseases
(Moraceae).
The wood of fg trees is often soft and the latex precludes its use for many
purposes. It was used to make mummy caskets in Ancient Egypt. Certain
fg species (mainly F. cotinifolia, F. insipida and F. padifolia) are traditionally
used in Mesoamerica to produce papel amate (Nahuatl: matl). Mutuba
(F. natalensis) is used to produce barkcloth in Uganda. Pou (F. religiosa)
leaves' shape inspired one of the standard kbach rachana, decorative
elements in Cambodian architecture. Indian Banyan (F. bengalensis) and
the Indian Rubber Plant, as well as other species, have use in herbalism.
Figs have fgured prominently in some human cultures. There is evidence
that fgs, specifcally the Common Fig (F. carica) and Sycamore Fig (Ficus
sycomorus), were among the frst if not the very frst plant species that
were deliberately bred for agriculture in the Middle East, starting more than
11,000 years ago. Nine subfossil F. carica fgs dated to about 94009200
BCE were found in the early Neolithic village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley,
13 km north of Jericho). These were a parthenogenetic type and thus
apparently an early cultivar. This fnd predates the frst known cultivation of
grain in the Middle East by many hundreds of years.[11]