Ficus pseudopalma is a species of fig, (subgenus Sycamorus) in the mulberry family (Moraceae).[1] It is known by the common names Philippine fig, dracaena fig, and palm-leaf fig.[2] In nature it is endemic to the Philippines, especially the island of Luzon.[2] It is known elsewhere as an ornamental plant.
| Ficus pseudopalma | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Genus: | Ficus |
| Subgenus: | F. subg. Sycomorus |
| Species: | F. pseudopalma
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| Binomial name | |
| Ficus pseudopalma | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Ficus blancoi Elmer | |
This is a shrub or rarely branching small tree growing erect with a naked unbranched mesocaul stem topped with a cluster of wavey-edged leaves to give it the appearance of a palm.[3] Indeed, the species name pseudopalma means "false palm".[4] The leaves are up to 30 -36 inches (75–90 cm) long[5] with a yellow midrib and edged with dull teeth. The fruit is a dark green fig that grows in pairs, each fruit just over an inch long.[3]
In Luzon, this plant occurs in grassland and forest habitat, where it is considered common.[6] The new shoots of the plant are eaten as a type of vegetable, and there are a number of traditional medicinal uses, such as a remedy for kidney stones made from the leaves.[7] In Bicol Region the plant is known as Lubi-lubi and the leaves are cooked in coconut milk.[4] In 2003 the leaves were sold in markets for US$0.74 per kilogram, and the plant can be grown in plantations without pesticides for an adequate profit.[4]
This shrub has been used as a landscaping plant in Hawaii, but it never escaped cultivation or became established in the wild because the species of wasp that pollinates it was never brought to the islands.[3]
References
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- ^ a b "Ficus pseudopalma Blanco". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Ficus pseudopalma". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Starr, F., et al. (2003). Ficus pseudopalma Fact Sheet. Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk.
- ^ a b c Food & Fertilizer Technology Center. (2003). Fruit and vegetables from the tropical forest. Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine FFTC Practical Technology.
- ^ Graf, Alfred Byrd (1981). Tropica. East Rutherford, N.J.: Roehrs Company. pp. 1006 & 661.
- ^ Villegas, K. L. and F. A. Pollisco Jr. (2008). Floral survey of Laiban sub-watershed in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in the Philippines. Archived 2012-03-07 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation 4(1) 1-14.
- ^ Ragasa, C. Y., et al. (2009). Terpenoids and sterols from the endemic and endangered Philippine trees Ficus pseudopalma and Ficus ulmifolia. Archived 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine Philippine Journal of Science 138(2) 205.
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