Ficus pallescens
Content
Description
Tree up to c. 20 m tall, hemi-epiphytic or a climber (?).
internal hairs absent.
Leaves spirally arranged;
stipules 0.5-1 cm long, glabrous (or minutely white puberulous), caducous.
Ovary partly red.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Banka present
Malesia: Sumatra (Banka), Malay Peninsula, Borneo.
Taxonomy
1This species shows similarities to F. binnendijkii (in which it was included). It differs, e.g., in the smaller leaves with less lateral veins and longer basal lateral veins and the shorter petioles and stipules.
3Two forms can be distinguished: a typical and a small-leaved form. The lamina of the material from the Malay Peninsula tends to be thicker than that from Borneo and Sumatra. Moreover, the fig receptacle is often relatively large (0.6-0.8 cm diam.) and the leafy twigs stouter (2-2.5) mm thick in the Malay Peninsula.
4Urostigma tjiela Miq. (from the Philippines), regarded as synonym of var. coriacea (Corner 1960), is after lectotypification transferred to F. pisocarpa.
2It also resembles F. microcarpa from which it differs in the absence of internal hairs on the fig wall, the mostly acuminate lamina (usually with acute acumen) and the tertiary venation running less clearly parallel to the lateral veins (thus more distinctly reticulate), and the midrib usually clearly impressed above. Moreover, it resembles Form C of F. sumatrana from which it can be distinguished by the open ostiole and the (somewhat) shorter basal bracts.