Ficus pungens

Reinw. ex Blume

Lovo

MoraceaeLeavesPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

Young leaves are cooked and eaten with meat, and are moderately commonly consumed in areas where the tree occurs.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. Normally near streams and drains. Trees grow from sea level up to about 1800 m.

Asia, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A fig. It is a tall tree with large leaves 30 cm long and 25 cm wide. Young leaves are light green. They have teeth along the edge and are rough on both surfaces. They have 10 pairs of side veins. Stalks have very sharp thorns. These can fall off. The fruit are small (0.5 cm) and in clusters along long stalks hanging from the trunk. The stalks can be 50-80 cm long. The fruit are greenish-yellow but turn red as they ripen.

How to Grow

Trees are mostly self sown.

Medicinal Uses

Although there are some reports of the latex being very poisonous, in some regions the root or leaf latex is swallowed to cure cough quickly. The leaves, combined with those of an unknown Mallotus species, are crushed and mixed with water - this solution is said to relieve a bad cough. Heated leaves are applied externally to relieve body pains. The bark is crushed and squeezed, the extracted juice being taken orally for a week as a treatment for asthma.

Other Uses

The fibrous bark is used to make mats. The fibrous branches used to clean teeth. The leaves of some species are used to wrap food for cooking. The leaves of some species are quite rough and can be used as a sandpaper substitute and for scouring pots. The wood of plants in this genus is usually of low quality, light in weight, soft and not very durable. It is sometimes used for purposes such as light construction, digging sticks, yam stakes, etc. The wood is also used for fuel and sometimes for making fire by friction.

Other Information

The leaves are moderately commonly eaten with meat in areas where the tree occurs.

Notes

There are about 800-1000 Ficus species. They are mostly in the tropics. There are 120 Ficus species in tropical America.

Names & Synonyms

Gofe, Hiyo, Hoiyo, Huisi, Ongau, Wakia, Wek, Wekima

Ficus myriocarpa Miq.

References (6)

Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 107
Bourke, R. M., Altitudinal limits of 230 economic crop species in Papua New Guinea. Terra australis 32.
French, B.R., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, A Compendium. Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 63
Peekel, P.G., 1984, (Translation E.E.Henty), Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for Naturalists, Division of Botany, Lae, PNG. p 147, 145
Walter, A. & Sam C., 2002, Fruits of Oceania. ACIAR Monograph No. 85. Canberra. p 279
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew