Kingdom Plantae Family Moraceae Rank Species | Order Rosales Genus Ficus | |
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Similar Ficus glumosa, Ficus ingens, Ficus ilicina, Desert fig, Ficus craterostoma | ||
Peculiar tree ficus cordata at guelta oumm el mh r assaba mauritania
Ficus cordata, the Namaqua fig, is a species of fig that occurs in two disjunct populations in Africa, one in the arid southwest of the continent, and a second in the northern subtropics. In the south it is often the largest and most prominent tree, and is virtually restricted to cliff faces and rock outcrops, where it has a rock-splitting habit.
Contents
- Peculiar tree ficus cordata at guelta oumm el mh r assaba mauritania
- Races
- Range and habitat
- Species associations
- Similar species
- References
Races
The races are:
Range and habitat
The nominate race is native to arid western South Africa, Namibia and southwestern Angola, while a second race is native to Africa's northern subtropics. The nominate race is found in fynbos, succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo, while the northern race is found in savannah, up to 1,500 m above sea level.
Species associations
The nominate race is pollinated by the wasp Platyscapa desertorum Compton.. The wasp Comptoniella vannoorti Wiebes. is an associated non-pollinator that oviposits through the fig wall. The pollinator wasp of the northern race, F. c. lecardii, is as yet unknown.
Similar species
F. salicifolia, the Wonderboom, is sometimes deemed a third race of Ficus cordata, i.e. F. c. subsp. salicifolia (Vahl) C.C.Berg, but it lacks the yellowish sessile figs of F. cordata, and its range is much to the east.