Flora of North America species comparison

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Ficus carica

Ficus citrifolia

common fig, edible fig, fiku, piku

wild banyan tree
Habit Shrubs or small trees, deciduous, to 5 m. Roots not adventitious. Shrubs or trees, evergreen, to 15 m. Roots adventitious, aerial, hanging.
Bark

grayish, slightly roughened.

brownish, smooth.
Branchlets

pubescent.

grayish, glabrous or sparingly pubescent.
Leaves

blade obovate, nearly orbiculate, or ovate, palmately 3-5-lobed, 15-30 × 15-30 cm, base cordate, margins undulate or irregularly dentate, apex acute to obtuse;

surfaces abaxially and adaxially scabrous-pubescent;

basal veins 5 pairs;

lateral veins irregularly spaced.

blade ovate to elliptic or obovate, 3-14 × 1.5-8 cm, nearly leathery, base usually cordate or rounded to obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute or acuminate;

surfaces abaxially and adaxially glabrous;

basal veins 1(-2) pairs;

lateral veins fewer than 10, if more than 10, not uniformly spaced.
Syconia

solitary, sessile, green, yellow, or red-purple, pyriform, 5-8 cm, pubescent;

peduncle ca. 1 cm; subtending bracts ovate, 1-2 mm;

ostiole with 3 subtending bracts, umbonate.

solitary or paired, pedunculate, yellow or red, spotted, globose to globose-ovoid, 8-18 mm diam., glabrous;

peduncles to ca. 15 mm; subtending bracts 2, shortly connate, deltate or broadly rounded, 2-3 mm wide, glabrous or puberulent;

ostiole subtended by 3 bracts, bracts ovate, ca. 1 × 2-3 mm, slightly umbonate.

Ficus carica

Ficus citrifolia
Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Disturbed sites Tropical hammocks
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 0-10 m (0-0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; MA; NC; SC; Mexico; West Indies; native to Asia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ficus carica is known to escape in Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, although no specific localities are documented.

Ficus carica was first known from Caria in southwestern Asia. It is cultivated for its edible fruit and becomes established outside of cultivation only sporadically in the United States. It can sometimes be found persisting around old habitations and old orchards.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Ficus citrifolia is the large and graceful banyan tree that is planted for shade around verandas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Moraceae > Ficus Moraceae > Ficus
Sibling taxa
F. americana, F. aurea, F. benghalensis, F. benjamina, F. citrifolia, F. elastica, F. microcarpa, F. pumila, F. religiosa
F. americana, F. aurea, F. benghalensis, F. benjamina, F. carica, F. elastica, F. microcarpa, F. pumila, F. religiosa
Synonyms F. brevifolia, F. laevigata, F. laevigata var. brevifolia, F. populifolia, F. populnea var. floridana, F. populnea var. brevifolia
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1059. (1753) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8. (1768)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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