Kingdom Plantae Family Moraceae Rank Species | Order Rosales Genus Ficus | |
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Similar Ficus capreifolia, Ficus stuhlmannii, Ficus craterostoma, Ficus glumosa | ||
The Laurel fig is a species of rock-splitting fig that is native to the semi-desert regions of southwestern Africa. It is only found on rocks, up to an altitude of 1,300m.
Contents
Description
It is generally a scrambler on rocks, but also a medium-sized shrub, or rarely a large tree of 5 m tall or over. It is mostly evergreen, though a few are bare in spring, just before new foliage emerges. The elliptic leaves are more than twice as long as they are wide, shiny above and mat below. The sessile or stalked figs are produced in the summer months. They are about 1 cm in diameter and appear in the leaf axils near the branch tips.
Range
It occurs in southwestern Angola, the Namibian escarpment and Khomas hochland, and in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
Species associations
The pollinating wasp is Elisabethiella enriquesi (Grandi). The figs are eaten by birds and people.
