1660

2: Edible fruits and nuts

Ficus racemosa L.

MORACEAE

Ficus glomerata Roxb.

Cluster fig, red river fig (En). Indonesia: elo (Javanese), loa (Sundanese), arah (Madurese). Singapore: atteeka. Burma: atti, umbar. Cambodia: lovië. Laos: düa kiengz. Thailand: duea kliang (central, northern), duca nam (peninsular). Vietnam: sung.

North-eastern Africa, India to Indo-China, Malesia to northern and western Australia. Not in the Philippines. In India also cultivated.

The figs, which are rather insipid but sweet, are edible. They are used in various preserves and side-dishes. Leaves are eaten as vegetable and are said to be used against diarrhoea. They are also used as animal fodder and they provide a valuable mulch. In India the tree is also cultivated as host plant for lac insects, shade tree for coffee and a rootstock for Ficus carica L. The latex is used in production of water-resistant paper and as plasticizer for Hevea rubber.

Deciduous (in drier areas) cauliflorous tree, 20—30 m tall, buttressed, often with irregular crown. Infructescences in big clusters on branching, leafless twigs on stem and larger branches. Fruit a fig, pyriform to subglobose, 2.5—5 cm in diameter, rose-red when ripe. In open, deciduous forest, common along river banks in lowlands. Four varieties have been distinguished, mainly based on differences in leaf form and hairiness.

[3]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963–1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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[39]Koorders, S.H. & Valeton, Th., 1894–1914. Bijdrage tot de kennis der boomsoorten van Java [Contribution to the knowledge of tree species of Java]. 13 Volumes. G. Kolff & Co., Batavia.
[51]Mansfeld, R. & Schultze-Motel, J., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaftlicher und gärtnerischer Kuturpflanzen. 2nd ed. 4 Volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin. 1998 pp.
[58]Ochse, J.J., 1927. Indische vruchten [Indonesian fruits]. Volkslectuur, Weltevreden. 330 pp.
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P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen

Jansen, P.C.M., Jukema, J., Oyen, L.P.A. & van Lingen, T.G., 1991. Ficus racemosa L.. In: Verheij, E.W.M. and Coronel, R.E. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea