Ficus congesta

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Ficus congesta

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Description

Tree up to 25 m tall. internal hairs absent. Leaves spirally arranged, subdistichous or (sub)opposite; stipules 0.5-1 cm long, sparsely to densely brownish to whitish strigillose, caducous.

Distribution

Ambon present, Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present; Sulawesi (Sulawesi present), Buru present, Ceram present, New Britain present, Tanimbar Islands present
Malesia: Celebes, Moluccas (Buru, Ceram, Ambon, Tanimbar Islands), New Guinea (incl. New Britain).

Morphology

2The sparsely hairy form 1) is relatively rare in New Guinea. Without figs, this form cannot be distinguished from (the allopatric?) F. fistulosa. Material with figs can usually be distinguished by the (mostly) larger figs borne on elongate, rather slender leafless branchlets. The link between the sparsely hairy material and F. fistulosa is so strong that one may wonder whether the two morphological forms should be kept in a single species or the sparsely hairy entity should be included in F. fistulosa as a subspecies. 3The fig receptacle tend to increase in size from West to East. 1Two forms can be recognized:
  1. Plant parts (rather) sparsely hairy with white appressed hairs; lamina smooth beneath; lateral veins often furcate (even in relatively small leaves); leaf margin flat; material included in var. congesta.
  2. Plant parts more densely hairy, with whitish or brownish appressed or patent hairs; lamina often scabridulous beneath; lateral veins (even in relatively large leaves) rarely furcate; leaf margin often ± revolute (when dry); material included in var. chalmersii (New Guinea) and var. menadana (Celebes).
 4The material from Australia (referred to this species) is ± aberrant in the indumentum, the regular presence of axillary figs, and the epidermis of the petiole flaking off in large flakes. It may represent a distinct taxon, at least at the subspecific level. Names based on Australian material, F. setistyla Warb. (1905) = F. chaetostyla Diels (1935), are not included as synonyms in the current treatment.

Citation

Wight 1843 – In: Ic.: t. 644
Miq. 1859: p. 324. – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: t. 23B.
Corner 1965: – Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 88
Corner 1960 – In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 18: 51
Summerh. 1929 – In: J. Arnold Arbor. 10: 148
Corner 1965: – Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 88
Domin 1921 – In: Bibl. Bot.: 570
King 1888: p. 6. – In: Sp. Ficus: t. 230A
Miq. 1867: – Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 3: 296
Corner 1965: – Gard. Bull. Singapore 21: 88
King 1888 – In: Sp. Ficus: 180
Benth. 1913: Compr. Cat. Qld. Pl.: 504
King 1888 – In: Sp. Ficus: 182
Diels 1935 – In: Bot. Jahrb. Syst.: 215
F.M. Bailey 1902 – In: Queensl. Fl.: 1478