Ficus nota (Blanco) Merr., Moraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: tibig

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees are erect, up to 9 m high, or shrubby with crooked stems. In Florida, the trees are low and spreading, with trunks branching near the ground, probably because of having suffered occasional frost injury. No aerial roots were observed. The twigs are hollow when young, about 0.7 cm thick, and densely silky-pubescent. Older twigs are chocolate-brown, with leaf scars large and prominent. The terminal buds are 2.5 cm long, 0.7 cm thick at the base, pubescent, somewhat flattened or angular, and green to tawny. The alternative leaves are large, up to 25 cm long and 15 cm broad, ovate, the apex bluntly acute or acuminate, and the margins coarsely serrate to almost entire. The blades are variable as to the base, which is sometimes obovate and narrowed to cordate with narrow sinus, the lobes often overlapping and sometimes asymmetrical. Some blades are distinctly narrowed from the middle or above toward the rounded base. The texture is chartaceous. Hydathodes are present, and densely scattered over the surface, which is pubescent only on veins above but silky-pubescent below. Venation is prominent, with 3 to 5 pairs of basal veins and 7 to 9 laterals flanking the midrib, these well elevated, widely spaced, and branched toward the margin. The petioles are up to 5 cm long, stout, silky-pubescent, rusty-scurfy, and reddish to chocolate-brown, abruptly changing to green at the base of the midrib. This species is cauliflorous, with the figs borne mostly in fascicles from the stem and branches, on pubescent peduncles up to 1.1 cm long. The sterile figs are 3.5 cm in diameter, globular to oblate-spherical, with the surface pubescent but glossy, and decorated with prominent, white flecks which are thickly scattered, the larger ones with a corky spot in the center. The figs are green when young, but change to scarlet before dropping. The umbilicus is large and somewhat depressed. The interior is strawberry" (Condit, 1969; pp. 211-212).

Habitat/ecology:  Banks of streams and in forests at low and medium altitudes. Seeds are easily carried by water and adhere to clothing or to animals. Grows in a variety of soils in areas with high humidity (Condit, 1969; pp. 211-212).

Propagation:  Bird-dispersed seeds.

Native range:  Malaysia and Philippines (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1998) (p. 10) Voucher cited: W. Takeuchi et al. 7540 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herbarium Pacificum Staff (1998) (p. 10) Vouchers cited: O. & I. Degener 31910 (BISH), T. Herat 252 (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Condit, I. J. (1969) (pp. 211-212)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 59) In thickets and forests at low and medium altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Sabah, Sarawak

Control:  If you know of control methods for Ficus nota, please let us know.