Ficus hispida is a shrub to medium sized tree in the family Moraceae. The plant is native to Assam, East Asia, southern China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, to New Guinea and Australia. It is known as the opposite leaf Fig, Devil Fig, Hairy Fig, Rough-leaved Fig etc. In Assamese, it is called Dimoru or Dimaru. Other common names are (in Sanskrit) Kakodumbarika, (in Hindi) Kagsha, Kala Umbar, (in Gujarati) Dhed Umbar, (in Kannada) Kada Atthi, (in Karbi) Engthum, (in Malayalam) Erumanakku, etc.
Uses
Fruits of fig is edible and the plant have been used in the treatment of ulcers, psoriasis, anemia, piles jaundice, vitiligo, hemorrhage, diabetes, convulsion, hepatitis, dysentery, biliousness, and as lactagogue and purgative.
Description
It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate individuals. Flowers are unisexual; inflorescence is dioecious, and hangs on trunk or leafless branches. They are depressed-globose. The leaves of ficus are sandpapery to touch. The plant grows up to 10 m high; bark is grey, young shoots are hispid and hollow branchlets ooze out milky latex. Leaf arrangement is opposite-decussate, leaf type is simple, leaf shape is oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, leaf apex is abruptly acute or acuminate or cuspidate, leaf base is round, subcordate or cuneate, and leaf margin is entire-minutely toothed. Venation of leaf is pinnate.
Taxonomy of Ficus hispida
Kingdom : Plantae
Phylum : Tracheophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Rosales
Family : Moraceae
Genus : Ficus
Species : Ficus hispida L. f.
Synonym :
Ficus oppositifolia Roxb.
Covellia assamica Miq.
Covellia courtallensis Miq.
Covellia daemonum (Vahl) Miq.
Covellia dasycarpa Miq.
Covellia oppositifolia (Roxb.) Gasp.
Covellia setulosa Miq.
Covellia wightiana Miq.
Ficus courtallensis (Miq.) Baill.
Ficus daemonum (Koen.) Vahl
Ficus fecunda Bl.
Ficus goolereea Roxb.
Ficus hispida var. incana Kuntze
Ficus hispida var. viridis Kuntze
Ficus hispidioides S. Moore
Ficus letaqui Lév. & Vaniot
Ficus mollis Willd.
Ficus perinteregam Pennant
Ficus poilanei Gagnep.
Ficus prominens Wall. ex Miq.
Ficus sambucixylon Lév.
Ficus scabra Jacq.
Ficus simphytifolia Lam.
Gonosuke demonum (Vahl) Rafin
Gonosuke scabra (Jacq.) Rafin
Sycomorphe roxburghii Miq.