Ficus pygmaea Welw. ex Hiern

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Ficus pygmaea

Masese, Loanja Dambo; Feb 1991.
Photo: Mike Bingham

Ficus pygmaea

Masese, Loanja Dambo; Feb 1991.
Photo: Mike Bingham

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Synonyms:
Common names: Dwarf fig (English: Zambia) Mulaula (Lozi)
Frequency: Common
Status: Native
Description:
Shrub up to 1.5(4) m tall. Leaves alternate; stipules 2-6 mm. long, caducous; leaf margin usually serrate-dentate or pinnately incised; leaf blade rough to the touch. Figs solitary in the leaf axils; ripe figs split open to reveal bright red pulp. Distinguished from other members of the Section Sycidium by the suffrutescent habit.
Separate male and female plants; stipules not completely enclosing the stem apex; figs with bracts on the receptacle as well as basal and osteolar (Subgenus Ficus, Section Sycidium).
Type location:
Angola
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: pygmaea: pygmy, dwarf
Habitat: On floodplains and in sandy dambos but by no means restricted to the Kalahari Sands, extending eastward to Luapula and Muchinga Provinces.
Altitude range: 1000 m (approx)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Zambia, western Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola.
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): B,N,W,C,S
Zambian distribution (Provinces): Nw,Lp,Mc,C,S,W
Growth form(s): Shrub over 2 m.
Endemic status:
Red data list status: Lower Risk - least concern
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated: Friday 5 July 2013
Literature:

Berg, C.C. (1991). Moraceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(6) Pages 48 - 49. (Includes a picture).

Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2003). Figs of Southern and South-Central Africa Umdaus Press, South Africa Pages 52 - 55. (Includes a picture).

Curtis, B.A. & Mannheimer, C.A. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia National Botanic Research Institute, Windhoek Page 59. (Includes a picture).

Mannheimer, C. & Curtis B. (2009). Le Roux and Müller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia Macmillan Education, Windhoek, Namibia. Pages 24 - 25. (Includes a picture).

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.

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 88.

Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 219.

Other sources of information about Ficus pygmaea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Ficus pygmaea
Flora of Caprivi: Ficus pygmaea
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ficus pygmaea

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ficus pygmaea
African Plant Database: Ficus pygmaea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ficus pygmaea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ficus pygmaea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ficus pygmaea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ficus pygmaea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ficus pygmaea
JSTOR Plant Science: Ficus pygmaea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ficus pygmaea
Plants of the World Online: Ficus pygmaea
Tropicos: Ficus pygmaea
Wikipedia: Ficus pygmaea


Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Species information: Ficus pygmaea.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=164670, retrieved 19 March 2024

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