Ficus cordata

Namaqua rock fig
In the Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Subgenus: F. subg. Urostigma
Species:
F. cordata
Binomial name
Ficus cordata
Synonyms
  • Ficus atrovirens Kunth & C.D.Bouché
  • Ficus cordata var. fleckii Warb.
  • Ficus cordata var. marlothii Warb.
  • Ficus cordata var. tristis (Kunth & C.D.Bouché) Warb.
  • Ficus glaucophylla Desf.
  • Ficus rupium Dinter
  • Ficus tristis Kunth & C.D.Bouché
  • Ficus welwitschii Warb.
  • Ficus welwitschii var. beroensis Hiern
  • Urostigma atrovirens Regel
  • Urostigma cordatum (Thunb.) Gasp.
  • Urostigma glaucophyllum Gasp.
  • Urostigma thunbergii Miq., nom. illeg. superfl.

Ficus cordata, the Namaqua rock fig or Namaqua fig, is a species of fig native to southwestern and west-central Africa. In the south it is often the largest and most prominent tree, and is virtually restricted to cliff faces and rock outcrops, where it has a rock-splitting habit.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1786. Two subspecies were formerly recognized:

Subspecies lecardii is now recognized as a distinct species, Ficus lecardii.

Range and habitat

Ficus cordata is native to arid western South Africa, Namibia, southwestern Angola, Botswana, and Cameroon. It is found in fynbos, succulent Karoo, and Nama Karoo.

Species associations

The species is pollinated by the wasp Platyscapa desertorum Compton. The wasp Comptoniella vannoorti Wiebes is an associated non-pollinator that oviposits through the fig wall.

Similar species

F. salicifolia, the Wonderboom, is sometimes deemed a third subspecies of Ficus cordata, i.e. F. c. subsp. salicifolia (Vahl) C.C.Berg, but it lacks the yellowish sessile figs of F. cordata, and its range is much to the east.

Foliage

References

  1. 1 2 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2020). "Ficus cordata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T138393349A146447809. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T138393349A146447809.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ficus cordata Thunb". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "Ficus cordata". PlantZAfrica. SA National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Moll, Eugene (2013). Watter Boom is dit?. ISBN 978-1-77007-832-1.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Van Noort, S., Rasplus, J. "Ficus cordata cordata Thunberg 1786". Figweb. Iziko Museums. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Burring, Jan. "Ficus abutilifolia (Miq.) Miq". PlantZAfrica.com. SANBI. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Van Noort, S., Rasplus, J. "Ficus cordata lecardii (Warburg) C.C. Berg 1988". Figweb. Iziko Museums. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Ficus lecardii Warb". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "Ficus salicifolia Vahl". The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Retrieved 6 November 2014.