African Wildlife and Environment Issue 67

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

have simple, alternate leaves that when removed leak a white, milky latex, all have a stipular scar that surrounds the twig, and all have the characteristic ‘fig’ fruit. This ‘fruit’ is in fact a complex structure known botanically as a sycomium. Basically it is the stem of the inflorescence, or the receptacle, that swells to surround the inflorescence and the unisexual flowers are produced within this infructescence – so it is a false fruit. The small hole or ostiole at the ‘end’ is a narrow passage that allows tiny species of highly specialised wasps that pollinate the flowers, to enter and leave the fig. This association of wasps with figs is an extremely interesting and complex one that has evolved over ~60 million years; you can learn a lot more from Simon van Noort’ s website at http:// www.figweb.org/Figs_and_fig_wasps/index.htm. Van Noort, S. & Rasplus, JY. 2017. Figweb: figs and fig wasps of the world. Copyright 2004-2017 Iziko Museums of South Africa. F. sur is one of the very few local species that has a leaf margin that is gently scalloped, and the figs are produced mainly from characteristic ‘brooms’ that hang down from the main branches. No other local species of fig has these diagnostic features. Another very intriguing characteristic of Ficus spp. is that not all the figs on a tree ripen at once, and in a local area where there may be a few individual trees there will always be both green and ripe figs. Seemingly this is ‘controlled’ by the wasps as they need to have a home year-round, so they make sure that there are always figs available for them to live in! What is very interesting about many species of fig is that they recognise self, which means that a single tree can be made up of several individuals that when they come in contact with another their tissues fused to become one. As far as I am aware the mechanism for this recognition of self is not fully understood, and one wonders if there may be some medical advantage in unravelling this ability? People have used and some still do use F. sur wood for making mortars, drum-bases and some items of furniture. Historically the wood was used to make brake-blocks for wagons, where a soft wood was ideal. However, as the wood is soft and rather fibrous it does not burn well, but does make excellent kindling for starting fires- especially with a flint when it is scraped or shaved to make a small pile ready to accept sparks. In the past the young leaves, which are reddish, were cooked as a relish and the figs were eaten fresh or dried, despite the fact that all have the larvae of wasps (something that all wild figs have). The latex and an extract of the bark has also been used medicinally. In the wild the fruits are much sought after by baboons and monkeys and the fallen fruits are eaten by many antelope. Frugivores also mob the trees when in fruit, and a fruiting tree can be a bird

watchers’ paradise, where one can see African Green Pigeons, turacos, starlings, barbets and many, many more, including the little insectivores like sunbirds and white-eyes. F. sur is one of the indigenous figs that has found its way into the horticultural industry and trees have been planted well out of their native distributional range where they may do well. Thus, there are some big trees in Kirstenbosch for example; and this is the only place I have seen an individual putting out prop-roots (that is a feature of some species such as F. salicifolia the Wonderboom Fig and F. trichopoda the Swamp Fig whose old name F. hippopotami was much more appropriate). If and when planting any fig, one has to be very careful about site selection. This is because as the trees grow their roots can become a huge problem as they are capable of lifting and cracking foundations of buildings, wall and swimming-pools, and the roots will find their way into sewage systems, blocking pipes and generally causing havoc. So, they need to be planted well away from any such infrastructure. NOTE In the family Moraceae, here in southern Africa, apart for thebig genus Ficuswehave threeother genera that occur, each with a single species. These are Trilepisium madagascariense, or Venda Fig, that in South Africa has a limited distribution, occurring locally in Venda and on the northern border of Swaziland in forest. Maclura africana,the African Osage-orange, that is a small tree in the far north (in low, hot, riverine habitats with spiny branches and separate male and female trees; i.e. it is dioecious), and Morus mesozygia, the African Mulberry, that occurs rarely in the coast forests north of Lake St Lucia as a big tree.

Eugene Moll Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology University of the Western Cape emoll@telkomsa.net

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