Ficus uncinata explained

Ficus uncinata, also known as earth fig in English and as ara entimau in Iban, is a species of flowering plant, a fruit tree in the fig family, that is native to Southeast Asia.[1]

Description

The species grows as a shrub or small tree to 8 m in height, with a bole of up to, from which stolons extend along the ground surface for up to . The hairy, greenish-brown leaves are long by wide. The inflorescences occur along the stolons. The pink, red or brownish-purple fruits are in diameter, and are covered by spine-like bracts.[1] The ground-level figs are eaten and the seeds dispersed by pigs, deer, ground squirrels and rats. The function of the bracts is to prevent the fruits being swallowed whole by ground-level seed predators, such as pheasants and partridges.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in Borneo and possibly in Sumatra. It occurs along streams and in hill areas and mountain forest up to an elevation of .[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lamb, Anthony . Anthony Lamb (botanist) . 2019 . A guide to wild fruits of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu . Natural History Publications (Borneo) . 194 . 978-983-812-191-0.
  2. Book: Phillipps . Quentin . Phillipps . Karen . 2016 . Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and their Ecology. Oxford, UK . John Beaufoy Publishing . 77 . 978-1-906780-92-0.