Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 Afrikaans (Afrikaanse rotsvy,Afrikaans rostvy), English (African rock fig), Hausa (kawuri), Somali (berde), Tigrigna (chekomte,check lang)

Ficus glumosa is a small- to medium-sized tree, 5-10 m tall, or it may become a large tree reaching 24 m and 2 m in girth. Branches widely spreading, more or less horizontal, often supported by stilt roots. Bark yellow, grey or green-grey, smooth to slightly rough with a few flaking pieces; slash reddish with white streaks; branchlets twiggy, finely hairy to hairy and may be marked with large leaf scars.

Leaves broadly ovate to oblong, 5-20 x 7-15 cm, green or greyish-green, the young leaves, young branchlets and petioles frequently with long, tawny, golden to grey silky hairs, giving a shaggy appearance to the young shoots, or hairs may be almost absent. Mature leaves usually glabrous above with the lower surface finely hairy, stiffly papery or leathery, and may have scattered long hairs; the ultimate veins forming an extremely fine network, midrib flat above and raised below, with 6-12 pairs of usually distinct, stout lateral veins branched at the ends and looped near the margin, the basal pair more prominent than the rest; apex broadly tapering to rounded; base rounded to shallowly lobed; margin entire; petiole comparatively short, 2.5-9 cm. Stipules present, pinkish-brown, conspicuous, velvety, sometimes falling early.

Figs small, less than 10-14 mm in diameter, in pairs in the leaf axils and often clustered at the ends of branches among the leaves, globose, paired, glabrous or with fine silky hairs, green turning red, sweet and succulent; stalkless or shortly stalked.

Ficus is the Latin name for fig, derived from the Persian word ‘fica’.

Ecology

F. glumosa occurs on rocky outcrops, where it splits rocks; along dry watercourses or in open country; frequently in valleys, where it reaches its greatest size. The species also occurs in fringe forest in savannah areas, especially in swampy ground, and in swamp forest in coastal areas. Originally collected in Ethiopia, it occurs in many parts of tropical Africa and is typically found in dry country in wooded grassland and bush. In Uganda, it is found in dry localities, usually among rocks, being abundant in the Mt Kei Forest Reserve in Arua District. It also occurs in the northern region and in Masinde District. In swampy ground, the numerous aerial roots develop into stilt roots.

Native range
Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome et Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Republic of

F. glumosa occurs on rocky outcrops, where it splits rocks; along dry watercourses or in open country; frequently in valleys, where it reaches its greatest size. The species also occurs in fringe forest in savannah areas, especially in swampy ground, and in swamp forest in coastal areas. Originally collected in Ethiopia, it occurs in many parts of tropical Africa and is typically found in dry country in wooded grassland and bush. In Uganda, it is found in dry localities, usually among rocks, being abundant in the Mt Kei Forest Reserve in Arua District. It also occurs in the northern region and in Masinde District. In swampy ground, the numerous aerial roots develop into stilt roots.

Artificial propagation is through seedlings and cuttings; seed pretreatment is not necessary.

 The figs are edible.

F. glumosa is a source of firewood and is used to produce charcoal.

Fibre: Cloth is made from the bark in Sudan.

Shade or shelter: Lines of the tree can be planted as a windbreak.

Tannin or dyestuff: In Sudan, the bark is also used for tanning.