Ficus tsjakela

Ficus tsjakela
In Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species:
F. tsjakela
Binomial name
Ficus tsjakela
Synonyms
  • Ficus caulobotrya (Miq.) Miq.
  • Ficus infectoria Willd.
  • Ficus tsjahela Burm.f., alternate spelling
  • Ficus venosa Aiton
  • Urostigma caulobotryum Miq.
  • Urostigma ceylonense Miq.
  • Urostigma infectorium (Willd.) Miq.
  • Urostigma tsjakela (Burm.f.) Miq.

Ficus tsjakela is a fig tree from the family Moraceae which is found in peninsular India, Sri Lanka, southern Pakistan (Sindh), It is commonly known as the kaaral in Malayalam, kal-aal in Tamil and boviyamara in Kannada., Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Fig
Leaves
Leaves
Bark

Distribution and habitat

In India, Ficus tsjakela occurs in coastal regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka, all districts of Kerala and in many districts of Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra, the tree is found in Ahmednagar, Ratnagiri, Satara and Sindhudurg districts. In Karnataka, F. tsjahela occurs in Chikmagalur, Hassan, Mysore, Shimoga, North and South Kanara districts. In Tamil Nadu, the tree ranges in Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Kanyakumari, Nilgiri, Salem, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Viluppuram. In Kerala, the tree is reported from Neeliyar Kottam, a sacred grove in Kannur District. It grows in tropical moist evergreen and deciduous forests from sea level up to 1,100 metres elevation. Its fruits are a food source for birds and mammals including hornbills.

Field description

Habit

Deciduous trees up to 25 m tall.

Trunk and bark

Bark dark brown; blaze red.

Branches and branchlets

Branchlets terete, glabrous. Exudates

Latex white, profuse.

Leaves

Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; stipules foliaceous, 0.7 cm long, caducous and leaving annular scar; petiole ca. 6 cm long, canaliculate, glabrous; lamina to 20 x 8 cm, oblong, elliptic-oblong, apex acuminate, base rounded, coriaceous, margin entire, glabrous and glossy; basally 3-nerved; midrib raised above; secondary nerves 6-10 pairs, prominent and parallel, looped near the margin; tertiary nerves reticulate.

Inflorescence / flower

Inflorescence syconia, sessile, depressed-globose, in clusters of 2-6, on very short crowded tubercles in the axils of the leaves or most frequently at the scars of fallen leaves; flowers unisexual.

Fruit and seeds

Syconium, sessile, ca. 0.5 cm across, greenish; achenes smooth.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Amitha Bachan, K.H.; Devika, M.A. (2025). "Ficus tsjakela". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2025 e.T210022233A210022359. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T210022233A210022359.en. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Ficus tsjakela Burm.f." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ficus tsjahela Burm.f". Indiabiodiversity.org. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ficus tsjahela". Flora of Pakistan. Retrieved 25 August 2026 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri and Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  5. ↑ "Shodhganga@INFLIBNET: Studies on the sacred groves of Kannur district". Hdl.handle.net. Retrieved 31 May 2022.