Edible : Fruit, Leaves, Spice, Flavoring, Flowers
A fig. It is an medium sized evergreen spreading tree. Plants can loose many leaves during the dry season. It grows to 12-20 m high and spreads to 5-10 m across. The trunk can be 60-90 cm across. The stem is erect and branching. There are often buttresses at the base. The bark is smooth and pale grey. It does not have aerial or strangling roots. The leaves are produced alternately. They are oval and taper towards the tip. They are 7-22 cm long and 3-9 cm across. The leaf stalk is 1-6 cm long. Flowers are very small and male and female flowers are enclosed in the fig receptacle. The fruit are large fleshy yellow and red figs. They are 5 cm across. They occur in dense clusters on the trunk and main branches. They are velvety when young and become smooth with age. When ripe they often split open. There are some varieties named based on the hairiness of the young parts. The figs are edible.
Distribution : It is a tropical plant. It does best in humus rich, moist soil. It needs to be well drained. It suits a sheltered sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It occurs naturally along the banks of lowland freshwater streams in the monsoonal vine forests. It can cope with being flooded for short periods. In Nepal it grows up to 1000 m altitude. In Sikkim it grows between 400-1,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Yunnan