View source for Biology:Ficus

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the mulberry family Moraceae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Fig trees
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Maastrichtian|Present}}
| image = Sycomoros old.jpg
| image_caption = Sycamore fig, ''[[Biology:Ficus sycomorus|Ficus sycomorus]]''
| parent_authority = Dumort.
| taxon = Ficus (plant)
| authority = [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Biology:Species|Species]]
| subdivision = About 800, see text
}}

'''''Ficus''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|aɪ|k|ə|s}}<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|ficus |access-date=2023-06-18}}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|iː|k|ə|s}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Sunset Western Garden Book |year=1995 |pages=606–607 |publisher=Sunset Books |isbn=978-0-37603-851-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite Collins Dictionary|ficus}}</ref>) is a [[Biology:Genus|genus]] of about 850 [[Biology:Species|species]] of woody [[Earth:Tree|tree]]s, [[Biology:Shrub|shrub]]s, [[Biology:Vine|vine]]s, [[Earth:Epiphyte|epiphyte]]s and [[Earth:Hemiepiphyte|hemiepiphyte]]s in the family [[Biology:Moraceae|Moraceae]]. Collectively known as '''fig trees''' or '''figs''', they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The [[Biology:Common fig|common fig]] (''F.&nbsp;carica'') is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan  to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its [[Biology:Fruit|fruit]], also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

==Description==
[[File:Ficus-AerialRoot.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Biology:Aerial root|Aerial root]]s that may eventually provide structural support]]
[[File:Ficus carica tree.jpg|right|thumb|A ''Ficus carica'' (common fig)]]
[[File:菩提樹 Ficus religiosa 20210421111446 01.jpg|thumb|right|The stipule of ''Ficus religiosa''. The white stipule contains a new leaf and a new stipule.]]
''Ficus'' is a [[Biology:Pantropical|pantropical]] genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of [[Biology:Ecological niche|ecological niche]]s; most are [[Biology:Evergreen|evergreen]], but some deciduous species are found in areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations.<ref name=Halevy1989>{{Cite book |title=Handbook of Flowering Volume 6 of CRC Handbook of Flowering |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZcTP7Kb01NAC&pg=PA331 |year=1989 |author=Halevy, Abraham H. |publisher=CRC Press |page=331 |isbn=978-0-8493-3916-5 |access-date=2009-08-25}}</ref> Fig species are characterized by their unique [[Biology:Inflorescence|inflorescence]] and distinctive [[Biology:Pollination syndrome|pollination syndrome]], which uses wasp species belonging to the family [[Biology:Agaonidae|Agaonidae]] for pollination.

Specific identification of many of the species can be difficult, but members of the genus ''Ficus'' are relatively easy to recognize. Many have [[Biology:Aerial root|aerial root]]s and a distinctive shape or habit, and their fruits distinguish them from other plants. The fruit of ''Ficus'' is an [[Biology:Inflorescence|inflorescence]] enclosed in an urn-like structure called a [[Biology:Syconium|syconium]], which is lined on the inside with the fig's tiny flowers that develop into multiple ovaries on the inside surface.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://waynesword.palomar.edu/fruitid6.htm#figs |title=Ficus: The Remarkable Genus Of Figs |access-date=2021-05-16 |archive-date=2009-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211212639/http://waynesword.palomar.edu/fruitid6.htm#figs |url-status=dead}}</ref> In essence, the fig fruit is a fleshy stem with multiple tiny flowers that fruit and coalesce.

The unique fig [[Biology:Pollination|pollination]] system, involving tiny, highly specific wasps, known as [[Biology:Fig wasp|fig wasp]]s that enter via [[Biology:Ostiole|ostiole]] these subclosed inflorescences to both pollinate and lay their own eggs, has been a constant source of inspiration and wonder to biologists.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}} Notably, three vegetative traits together are unique to figs. All figs present a white to yellowish [[Chemistry:Latex|latex]], some in copious quantities; the twig shows paired stipules —or circular scars if the stipules have fallen off; the lateral veins at the base of the leaf are steep, forming a tighter angle with the midrib than the other lateral veins, a feature referred to as "triveined".

No unambiguous older [[Biology:Fossil|fossil]]s of ''Ficus'' are known. However, current [[Biology:Molecular clock|molecular clock]] estimates indicate that ''Ficus'' is a relatively ancient genus being at least 60 million years old,{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}} and possibly as old as 80 million years. The main radiation of extant species, however, may have taken place more recently, between 20 and 40 million years ago.

Some better-known species that represent the diversity of the genus include.alongside the [[Biology:Common fig|common fig]], whose fingered [[Religion:Fig leaf|fig leaf]] is well known in art and iconography: the weeping fig (''F.&nbsp;benjamina''), a [[Earth:Hemiepiphyte|hemiepiphyte]] with thin, tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its rain forest habitat; the rough-leaved [[Biology:Sandpaper fig|sandpaper fig]]s from Australia; and the creeping fig (''F.&nbsp;pumila''), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls.

Moreover, figs with different plant habits have undergone adaptive radiation in different biogeographic regions, leading to very high levels of [[Alpha diversity|alpha diversity]]. In the tropics,  ''Ficus'' commonly is the most species-rich plant genus in a particular forest. In Asia, as many as 70 or more species can co-exist.{{sfnp|Harrison|2005}} ''Ficus'' [[Biology:Species richness|species richness]] declines with an increase in latitude in both hemispheres.{{sfnp|van Noort|van Harten|2006}}{{sfnp|Berg|Hijmann|1989}}

A description of fig tree cultivation is set out in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work titled, ''Book on Agriculture''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn al-'Awwam |first=Yaḥyá |title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |year=1864 |location=Paris |publisher=A. Franck |translator=J.-J. Clement-Mullet |pages=277–281 (ch. 7 - Article 25) |url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up |language=fr |oclc=780050566}} (pp. [https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n384/mode/2up 277]–281 (Article XXV)</ref>

==Ecology==
Figs are [[Biology:Keystone species|keystone species]] in many [[Earth:Tropical forest|tropical forest]] [[Earth:Ecosystem|ecosystem]]s. Their fruit are a key resource for some frugivores including [[Biology:Megabat|fruit bats]], and primates including: [[Biology:Capuchin monkey|capuchin monkey]]s, [[Biology:Colobinae|langurs]], [[Biology:Nomascus|gibbons]] and [[Biology:Mangabey|mangabey]]s. They are even more important for [[Biology:Bird|bird]]s such as [[Biology:Megalaimidae|Asian barbets]], [[Biology:Columbidae|pigeons]], [[Biology:Hornbill|hornbill]]s, [[Biology:Cyclopsittacini|fig-parrots]] and [[Biology:Bulbul|bulbul]]s, which may almost entirely subsist on figs when these are in plenty. Many [[Biology:Lepidoptera|Lepidoptera]] [[Biology:Caterpillar|caterpillar]]s feed on fig leaves, for example several ''[[Biology:Euploea|Euploea]]'' species (crow butterflies), the plain tiger (''Danaus chrysippus''), the [[Biology:Papilio cresphontes|giant swallowtail]] (''Papilio cresphontes''), the [[Biology:Badamia exclamationis|brown awl]] (''Badamia exclamationis''), and ''[[Biology:Chrysodeixis eriosoma|Chrysodeixis eriosoma]]'', [[Biology:Choreutidae|Choreutidae]] and [[Biology:Copromorphidae|Copromorphidae]] [[Biology:Moth|moth]]s. The [[Biology:Citrus long-horned beetle|citrus long-horned beetle]] (''Anoplophora chinensis''), for example, has larvae that feed on [[Biology:Wood|wood]], including that of fig trees; it can become a pest in fig plantations. Similarly, the sweet potato whitefly (''Bemisia tabaci'') is frequently found as a pest on figs grown as potted plants and is spread through the export of these plants to other localities. For a list of other diseases common to fig trees, see List of foliage plant diseases (Moraceae).

===Fig fruit and reproduction system===
{{anchor|Caprifig}}
[[File:Fig.jpg|thumb|A common fig fruit]]
[[File:Fig (Ficus carica) fruit halved.jpg|right|thumb|Cut through of a ripe common fig]]

Many fig species are grown for their fruits, though only ''[[Biology:Common fig|Ficus carica]]'' is cultivated to any extent for this purpose.{{fact|date=July 2022}}{{disputed inline|date=July 2022}} A fig "fruit" is a type of [[Biology:Multiple fruit|multiple fruit]] known as a [[Biology:Syconium|syconium]], derived from an arrangement of many small flowers on an inverted, nearly closed receptacle. The many small flowers are unseen unless the fig is cut open.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

The fruit typically has a bulbous shape with a small opening (the [[Biology:Ostiole|ostiole]]) at the outward end that allows access to [[Biology:Pollinator|pollinator]]s. The flowers are pollinated by [[Biology:Fig wasp|very small wasp]]s that crawl through the opening in search of a suitable place to lay eggs. Without this pollinator service fig trees could not reproduce by seed. In turn, the flowers provide a safe haven and nourishment for the next generation of wasps. This accounts for the frequent presence of wasp larvae in the fruit, and has led to a [[Biology:Coevolution|coevolution]]ary relationship. Technically, a fig fruit proper would be only one of the many tiny matured, seed-bearing [[Biology:Gynoecium|gynoecia]] found inside one fig – if you cut open a fresh fig, individual fruit will appear as fleshy "threads", each bearing a single seed inside. The genus ''[[Biology:Dorstenia|Dorstenia]]'', also in the fig family (Moraceae), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

Fig plants can be [[Biology:Monoecy|monoecious]] (hermaphrodite){{clarification needed|reason=androdioecious is neither synonymous with Monoicy or hermaphroditism|date=September 2021}} or gynodioecious (hermaphrodite and female).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://waynesword.palomar.edu/dawkins.htm |last1=Armstrong |first1=Wayne P |first2=Steven |last2=Disparti |title=A Key to Subgroups of Dioecious* (Gynodioecious) Figs Based On Fig Wasp/Male Syconium Pollination Patterns |website=Wayne's Word |date=4 April 1998 |access-date=2012-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202215506/http://waynesword.palomar.edu/dawkins.htm |archive-date=2012-02-02}}</ref> Nearly half of fig species are gynodioecious, and therefore have some plants with inflorescences (syconium) with long styled pistillate flowers, and other plants with staminate flowers mixed with short styled pistillate flowers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Plant diversity and complexity patterns: local, regional, and global dimensions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QwCQFbPsa4C&pg=RA1-PA427 |year=2005 |publisher=Kgl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab |page=472 |isbn=978-87-7304-304-2 |last1=Friis |first1=Ib |last2=Balslev |first2=Henrik}}</ref> The long-styled flowers tend to prevent wasps from laying their eggs within the ovules, while the short-styled flowers are accessible for egg laying.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sex Differences and Flowering Phenology in the Common Fig, Ficus carica L. |last1=Valdeyron |first1=Georges |last2=Lloyd |first2=David G. |jstor=2407790 |journal=Evolution |volume=33 |issue=2 |date=June 1979 |pages=673–685 |doi=10.2307/2407790 |pmid=28563939}}</ref>

All the native fig trees of the American continent are hermaphrodites, as well as species like Indian banyan (''F.&nbsp;benghalensis''), weeping fig (''F.&nbsp;benjamina''), Indian rubber plant (''F.&nbsp;elastica''), fiddle-leaved fig (''F.&nbsp;lyrata''), Moreton Bay fig (''F.&nbsp;macrophylla''), Chinese banyan (''F.&nbsp;microcarpa''), sacred fig (''F.&nbsp;religiosa'') and sycamore fig (''F.&nbsp;sycomorus'').{{sfnp|Berg|Corner|2005}} The common fig (''Ficus carica'') is a gynodioecious plant, as well as lofty fig or clown fig (''[[Biology:Ficus aspera|F.&nbsp;aspera]]''), Roxburgh fig (''[[Biology:Ficus auriculata|F.&nbsp;auriculata]]''), mistletoe fig (''F.&nbsp;deltoidea''), ''[[Biology:Ficus pseudopalma|F.&nbsp;pseudopalma]]'', creeping fig (''F.&nbsp;pumila'') and related species. The hermaphrodite common figs are called "inedible figs" or "caprifigs"; in traditional culture in the Mediterranean region they were considered food for goats (''Capra aegagrus''). In the female fig trees, the male flower parts fail to develop; they produce the "'edible figs". [[Biology:Fig wasp|Fig wasp]]s grow in common fig caprifigs but not in the female syconiums because the female flower is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the caprifig it grew up in. When the wasp dies, it is broken down by enzymes ([[Biology:Ficain|Ficain]]) inside the fig. Fig wasps are not known to transmit any diseases harmful to humans.

When a caprifig ripens, another caprifig must be ready to be pollinated. In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs, and there are distinct crops. Caprifigs have three crops per year; common figs have two.<ref name="Sinha">{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B0-12-227055-X/00463-6 |chapter=FIGS |title=Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition |year=2003 |last1=Sinha |first1=K.K. |pages=2394–2399 |isbn=978-0-12-227055-0}}</ref> The first crop ([[Biology:Breba|breba]]) is larger and juicier, and usually eaten fresh.<ref name=Sinha/>  In cold climates the breba crop is often destroyed by spring frosts.<ref>California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (1996): [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html Fig] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031124540/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html |date=2020-10-31 }}. Retrieved November 1, 2008.</ref> Some parthenocarpic [[Biology:Cultivar|cultivar]]s of common figs do not require pollination at all, and will produce a crop of figs (albeit [[Biology:Sterility (physiology)|sterile]]) in the absence of caprifigs and fig wasps.

Depending on the species, each fruit can contain hundreds or even thousand of seeds.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Weird Sex Life of the Fig |url=http://figs4fun.com/Links/FigLink006a.pdf |website=Ray's Figs |access-date=2012-01-05}}</ref> Figs can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, air-layering or grafting. However, as with any plant, figs grown from seed are not necessarily genetically identical to the parent and are only propagated this way for breeding purposes.

===Mutualism with the pollinating fig wasps===
{{Further|Biology:Reproductive coevolution in Ficus}}
[[File:Ficus exasperata by kadavoor.jpg|thumb|upright|''Ficus exasperata'', fruits]]

Each species of fig is pollinated by one or a few specialised wasp species, and therefore plantings of fig species outside of their native range results in effectively sterile individuals. For example, in Hawaii, some 60 species of figs have been introduced, but only four of the wasps that fertilize them, so only those species of figs produce viable seeds there and can become [[Earth:Invasive species|invasive species]]. This is an example of [[Biology:Mutualism|mutualism]], in which each organism (fig plant and [[Biology:Fig wasp|fig wasp]]) benefit each other, in this case reproductively.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

The intimate association between fig species and their wasp pollinators, along with the high incidence of a one-to-one plant-pollinator ratio have long led scientists to believe that figs and wasps are a clear example of [[Biology:Coevolution|coevolution]]. Morphological and reproductive behavior evidence, such as the correspondence between fig and wasp larvae maturation rates, have been cited as support for this hypothesis for many years.<ref name="Machado Jousselin Kjellberg Compton pp. 685–694">{{cite journal |last1=Machado |first1=C. A. |last2=Jousselin |first2=E. |last3=Kjellberg |first3=F. |last4=Compton |first4=S. G. |last5=Herre |first5=E. A. |title=Phylogenetic relationships, historical biogeography and character evolution of fig-pollinating wasps |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=268 |issue=1468 |date=7 April 2001 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2000.1418 |pmid=11321056 |pmc=1088657 |pages=685–694}}</ref> Additionally, recent genetic and molecular dating analyses have shown a very close correspondence in the character evolution and [[Biology:Speciation|speciation]] phylogenies of these two clades.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}}

According to meta-analysis of molecular data for 119 fig species 35% (41) have multiple pollinator wasp species. The real proportion is higher because not all wasp species were detected.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Li-Yuan |last2=Machado |first2=Carlos A. |last3=Dang |first3=Xiao-Dong |last4=Peng |first4=Yan-Qiong |last5=Yang |first5=Da-Rong |last6=Zhang |first6=Da-Yong |last7=Liao |first7=Wan-Jin |title=The incidence and pattern of copollinator diversification in dioecious and monoecious figs |journal=Evolution |date=February 2015 |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=294–304 |doi=10.1111/evo.12584 |pmid=25495152 |pmc=4328460}}</ref> On the other hand, species of wasps pollinate multiple host fig species.<ref name="Machado Robbins Gilbert Herre pp. 6558–6565">{{cite journal |last1=Machado |first1=C. A. |last2=Robbins |first2=N. |last3=Gilbert |first3=M. T. P. |last4=Herre |first4=E. A. |title=Critical review of host specificity and its coevolutionary implications in the fig/fig-wasp mutualism |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=102 |issue=Supplement 1 |date=3 May 2005 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0501840102 |pmid=15851680 |pmc=1131861 |pages=6558–6565 |bibcode=2005PNAS..102.6558M |doi-access=free}}</ref> Molecular techniques, like microsatellite markers and mitochondrial sequence analysis, allowed a discovery of multiple genetically distinct, cryptic wasp species. Not all these cryptic species are sister taxa and thus must have experienced a host fig shift at some point.<ref name="Molbo et al. 2003">{{cite journal |last1=Molbo |first1=D. |last2=Machado |first2=C.A. |last3=Sevenster |first3=J.G. |last4=Keller |first4=L. |last5=Herre |first5=E.A. |title=Cryptic species of fig-pollinating wasps: Implications for the evolution of the fig-wasp mutualism, sex allocation, and precision of adaptation |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=24 April 2003 |volume=100 |issue=10 |pages=5867–5872 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0930903100 |pmid=12714682 |pmc=156293 |bibcode=2003PNAS..100.5867M |doi-access=free}}</ref> These cryptic species lacked evidence of genetic [[Biology:Introgression|introgression]] or [[Biology:Backcrossing|backcrosses]] indicating limited fitness for [[Biology:Hybrid|hybrid]]s and effective [[Biology:Reproductive isolation|reproductive isolation]] and [[Biology:Speciation|speciation]].<ref name="Molbo et al. 2003"/>

The existence of cryptic species suggests that neither the number of symbionts nor their evolutionary relationships are necessarily fixed ecologically. While the morphological characteristics that facilitate the fig-wasp mutualisms are likely to be shared more fully in closer relatives, the absence of unique pairings would make it impossible to do a one-to-one tree comparison and difficult to determine cospeciation.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

==Systematics==
With over 800 species, ''Ficus'' is by far the largest genus in the Moraceae, and is one of the largest genera of flowering plants currently described.<ref name = "Judd">{{cite book |last1=Judd |first1=W.S. |last2=Campbell |first2=C.S. |last3=Kellogg |first3=E.A. |last4=Stevens |first4=P.F. |last5=Donoghue |first5=M.J. |year=2008 |title=Plant Systematics: A phylogenetic approach |edition=3rd |location=Sunderland (Massachusetts) |publisher=Sinauer Associates |isbn=978-0-87893-407-2}}</ref> The species currently classified within ''Ficus'' were originally split into several genera in the mid-1800s, providing the basis for a subgeneric classification when reunited into one genus in 1867. This classification put functionally dioecious species into four subgenera based on floral characters.<ref name ="Weiblen" /> In 1965, E. J. H. Corner reorganized the genus on the basis of breeding system, uniting these four dioecious subgenera into a single dioecious subgenus ''Ficus''. Monoecious figs were classified within the subgenera ''Urostigma'', ''Pharmacosycea'' and ''[[Biology:Sycomorus|Sycomorus]]''.<ref name="Corner-1965">{{Cite journal |last1=Corner |first1=E.J.H. |year=1965 |title=Check-list of ''Ficus'' in Asia and Australasia with keys to identification |journal=The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–186 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43581709 |via=biodiversitylibrary.org |access-date=5 Feb 2014}}</ref>

This traditional classification has been called into question by recent phylogenetic studies employing genetic methods to investigate the relationships between representative members of the various sections of each subgenus.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}}<ref name="Weiblen">{{cite journal |last=Weiblen |first=G.D. |year=2000 |title=Phylogenetic relationships of functionally dioecious ''Ficus'' (Moraceae) based on ribosomal DNA sequences and morphology |url=http://geo.cbs.umn.edu/Weiblen2000.pdf |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=87 |issue=9 |pages=1342–1357 |access-date=2018-04-22 |doi=10.2307/2656726 |jstor=2656726 |pmid=10991904 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Herre">{{cite journal |last1=Herre |first1=E. |last2=Machado |first2=C.A. |last3=Bermingham |first3=E. |last4=Nason |first4=J.D. |last5=Windsor |first5=D.M. |last6=McCafferty |first6=S. |last7=Van Houten |first7=W. |last8=Bachmann |first8=K. |year=1996 |title=Molecular phylogenies of figs and their pollinator wasps |journal=Journal of Biogeography |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=521–530 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.1996.tb00014.x|bibcode=1996JBiog..23..521H }}</ref><ref name="Jousselin">{{cite journal |last1=Jousselin |first1=E. |last2=Rasplus |first2=J.-Y. |last3=Kjellberg |first3=F. |year=2003 |title=Convergence and coevolution in a mutualism: evidence from a molecular phylogeny of Ficus |journal=Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution |volume=57 |issue=6 |pages=1255–1269 |doi=10.1554/02-445 |pmid=12894934 |s2cid=1962136}}</ref>{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2008}} Of Corner's original subgeneric divisions of the genus, only ''Sycomorus'' is supported as monophyletic in the majority of phylogenetic studies.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}}<ref name="Weiblen" /><ref name="Jousselin" /> Notably, there is no clear split between dioecious and monoecious lineages.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}}<ref name="Weiblen" /><ref name="Herre" /><ref name="Jousselin" />{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2008}} One of the two sections of ''Pharmacosycea'', a monoecious group, form a monophyletic clade basal to the rest of the genus, which includes the other section of ''Pharmacosycea'', the rest of the monoecious species, and all of the dioecious species.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2008}} These remaining species are divided into two main monophyletic lineages (though the statistical support for these lineages is not as strong as for the monophyly of the more derived clades within them). One consists of all sections of ''Urostigma'' except for section ''Urostigma s. s.''. The other includes section ''Urostigma s. s.'', subgenus ''Sycomorus'', and the species of subgenus ''Ficus'', though the relationships of the sections of these groups to one another are not well resolved.{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2005}}{{sfnp|Rønsted ''et al.''|2008}}

==Selected species==<!--by what criterion if there are redlinks all over?-->
There more than 880 accepted ''Ficus'' species (as of January 2023) according to [[Biology:Plants of the World Online|Plants of the World Online]].<ref>{{cite web |title=''Ficus'' Tourn. ex L. |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327905-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref>

===Subgenus ''Ficus''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Ficus" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus amplissima|Ficus amplissima]]'' <small>Sm.</small> – bat fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus carica|Ficus carica]]'' <small>L.</small> – common fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus daimingshanensis|Ficus daimingshanensis]]'' <small>Chang</small>
* ''Ficus deltoidea'' <small>Jack</small> – mistletoe fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus erecta|Ficus erecta]]'' <small>Thunb.</small> – Japanese fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus fulva|Ficus fulva]]'' <small>Reinw. ex Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus grossularioides|Ficus grossularioides]]'' <small>Burman f.</small> – white-leaved fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus neriifolia|Ficus neriifolia]]'' <small>Sm.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus palmata|Ficus palmata]]'' <small>Forssk.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pandurata|Ficus pandurata]]'' <small>Hance</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus simplicissima|Ficus simplicissima]]'' <small>Lour.</small> (synonym ''[[Biology:Ficus hirta|Ficus hirta]]'' <small>Vahl</small>)
* ''[[Biology:Ficus triloba|Ficus triloba]]'' <small>Buch.-Ham. ex Voigt</small>
{{Div col end}}

===Subgenus ''Pharmacosycea''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Pharmacosycea" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus crassiuscula|Ficus crassiuscula]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus gigantosyce|Ficus gigantosyce]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus insipida|Ficus insipida]]'' <small>Willd.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lacunata|Ficus lacunata]]'' <small>Kvitvik</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus maxima|Ficus maxima]]'' <small>Mill.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus mutabilis|Ficus mutabilis]]'' <small>Bureau</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus nervosa|Ficus nervosa]]'' <small>Heyne ex Roth</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pulchella|Ficus pulchella]]'' <small>Schott</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus yoponensis|Ficus yoponensis]]'' <small>Desv.</small>
{{Div col end}}

===Subgenus ''Sycidium''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Sycidium" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus andamanica|Ficus andamanica]]'' <small>Corner</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus aspera|Ficus aspera]]'' <small>G.Forst.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus assamica|Ficus assamica]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus bojeri|Ficus bojeri]]'' <small>Baker</small>
* ''Ficus capreifolia'' <small>Delile</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus coronata|Ficus coronata]]'' <small>Spin</small> – creek sandpaper fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus fraseri|Ficus fraseri]]'' <small>Miq.</small> – shiny sandpaper fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus heterophylla|Ficus heterophylla]]'' <small>L.f.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lateriflora|Ficus lateriflora]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus montana|Ficus montana]]'' <small>Burm.f.</small> – oakleaf fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus opposita|Ficus opposita]]'' <small>Miq.</small> – sweet sandpaper fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus phaeosyce|Ficus phaeosyce]]'' <small>K.Schum. & Lauterb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus tinctoria|Ficus tinctoria]]'' <small>G.Forst.</small> – dye fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus ulmifolia|Ficus ulmifolia]]'' <small>Lam.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus wassa|Ficus wassa]]'' <small>Roxb.</small>
* ''Ficus parietalis''
* ''Ficus sinuata''
* ''Ficus hampelas''
{{Div col end}}

===Subgenus ''Sycomorus''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Sycomorus" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus auriculata|Ficus auriculata]]'' <small>Lour.</small> – Roxburgh fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus bernaysii|Ficus bernaysii]]'' <small>King</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus dammaropsis|Ficus dammaropsis]]'' <small>Diels</small> – highland breadfruit, ''kapiak''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus fistulosa|Ficus fistulosa]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus hispida|Ficus hispida]]'' <small>L.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus nota|Ficus nota]]'' <small>Merr.</small> – ''tibig''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pseudopalma|Ficus pseudopalma]]'' <small>Blanco</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus racemosa|Ficus racemosa]]'' <small>L.</small> – cluster fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus septica|Ficus septica]]'' <small>Burm.f.</small> – hauli tree
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sycomorus|Ficus sycomorus]]'' <small>L., 1753</small> – sycamore fig (Africa)
* ''[[Biology:Ficus variegata (plant)|Ficus variegata]]'' <small>Blume</small>
{{Div col end}}

===Subgenus ''Synoecia''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Synoecia" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
The following species{{sfnp|Berg|2003}} are typically spreading or climbing [[Biology:Liana|liana]]s:
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus hederacea|Ficus hederacea]]'' <small>Roxb.</small>{{sfnp|Berg|2003|page=552}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pantoniana|Ficus pantoniana]]'' <small>King</small>{{sfnp|Berg|2003|page=554}} – climbing fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pumila|Ficus pumila]]'' <small>L.</small>{{sfnp|Berg|2003|page=553}} – creeping fig
** [[Biology:Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang|''Ficus pumila'' var. ''awkeotsang'']] <small>(Makino) Corner</small> – jelly fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus punctata|Ficus punctata]]'' <small>Thunb.</small>{{sfnp|Berg|2003|pages=565}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sagittata|Ficus sagittata]]'' <small>J. König ex [[Biography:Martin Vahl|Vahl]]</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sarmentosa|Ficus sarmentosa]]'' <small>Buch.-Ham. ex Sm.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus trichocarpa|Ficus trichocarpa]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus villosa|Ficus villosa]]'' <small>Blume</small>{{sfnp|Berg|2003|pages=553–554}}
{{Div col end}}

===Subgenus ''[[Biology:Banyan|Urostigma]]''===
<!--"Ficus subg. Urostigma" redirects here and is used in species taxoboxes-->
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus abutilifolia|Ficus abutilifolia]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus albert-smithii|Ficus albert-smithii]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus altissima|Ficus altissima]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus amazonica|Ficus amazonica]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus americana|Ficus americana]]'' <small>Aubl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus aripuanensis|Ficus aripuanensis]]'' <small>Berg & Kooy</small>
* ''Ficus arpazusa'' <small>Carauta and Diaz</small> – Brazil{{sfnp|Carauta|Diaz|2002|pages=38–39}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus aurea|Ficus aurea]]'' <small>Nutt.</small> – Florida [[Biology:Strangler fig|strangler fig]]
* ''Ficus beddomei'' <small>King</small> – ''thavital''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus benghalensis|Ficus benghalensis]]'' <small>L.</small> – Indian banyan
* ''[[Biology:Ficus benjamina|Ficus benjamina]]'' <small>L.</small> – weeping fig<ref name ="figweb">{{cite web |url=https://www.figweb.org/Ficus/Subgenus_Urostigma/Section_Urostigma/Subsection_Conosycea/index.htm |last1=van Noort |first1=S. |last2=Rasplus |first2=J.Y. |date=2020 |work=Figweb: figs and fig wasps of the world |title=Subsection ''Conosycea'' |access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref>
* ''Ficus binnendijkii'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus bizanae|Ficus bizanae]]'' <small>Hutch. & Burtt-Davy</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus blepharophylla|Ficus blepharophylla]]'' <small>Vázquez Avila</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus broadwayi|Ficus broadwayi]]'' <small>Urb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus burtt-davyi|Ficus burtt-davyi]]'' <small>Hutch.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus calyptroceras|Ficus calyptroceras]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus castellviana|Ficus castellviana]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus catappifolia|Ficus catappifolia]]'' <small>Kunth & Bouché</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus citrifolia|Ficus citrifolia]]'' <small>Mill.</small> – short-leaved fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus consociata|Ficus consociata]]'' <small>[[Biography:Carl Ludwig Blume|Bl.]]</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus cordata|Ficus cordata]]'' <small>Thunb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus costata|Ficus costata]]'' <small>Ait.</small><ref name ="figweb"/>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus crassipes|Ficus crassipes]]'' <small>F.M.Bailey</small> – round-leaved banana fig
* ''Ficus craterostoma'' <small>Mildbr. & Burret</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus cyathistipula|Ficus cyathistipula]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus cyclophylla|Ficus cyclophylla]]'' <small>(Miq.) Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus dendrocida|Ficus dendrocida]]'' <small>Kunth</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus depressa|Ficus depressa]]'' <small>[[Biography:Carl Ludwig Blume|Bl.]]</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus destruens|Ficus destruens]]'' <small>F.White</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus drupacea|Ficus drupacea]]'' <small>Thunb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus elastica|Ficus elastica]]'' <small>Hornem.</small> – rubber plant
* ''[[Biology:Ficus exasperata|Ficus exasperata]]'' <small>Vahl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus faulkneriana|Ficus faulkneriana]]'' <small>Berg</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus fergusonii|Ficus fergusonii]]'' <small>(King) T.B.Worth. ex Corner</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus glaberrima|Ficus glaberrima]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''Ficus glumosa'' <small>Delile</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus greiffiana|Ficus greiffiana]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus hirsuta|Ficus hirsuta]]'' <small>Schott</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus ilicina|Ficus ilicina]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''Ficus kerkhovenii'' <small>Valeton</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/heritage/changi/changitrees/index.html |author1=Joseph Lai |author2=Angie Ng |author3=Chuah Ai Lin |author4=Marilyn Cheng |title=Significant Trees and Shrubs in Changi |date=12 September 2002 |access-date=2012-01-05}}</ref> – Johore fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus kurzii|Ficus kurzii]]'' <small>King</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus luschnathiana|Ficus luschnathiana]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus ingens|Ficus ingens]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus krukovii|Ficus krukovii]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''Ficus lacor'' <small>Buch.-Ham.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lapathifolia|Ficus lapathifolia]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lauretana|Ficus lauretana]]'' <small>Vázquez Avila</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lutea|Ficus lutea]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lyrata|Ficus lyrata]]'' <small>Warb.</small> – fiddle-leaved fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus maclellandii|Ficus maclellandii]]'' <small>King</small> – Alii fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus macrophylla|Ficus macrophylla]]'' <small>Desf. ex Pers.</small> – Moreton Bay fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus malacocarpa|Ficus malacocarpa]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus mariae|Ficus mariae]]'' <small>Berg, Emygdio & Carauta</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus mathewsii|Ficus mathewsii]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus matiziana|Ficus matiziana]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus microcarpa|Ficus microcarpa]]'' <small>L.</small> – Chinese banyan
* ''[[Biology:Ficus muelleriana|Ficus muelleriana]]'' <small>Berg</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus natalensis|Ficus natalensis]]'' <small>Hochst.</small> – Natal fig
* ''Ficus obliqua'' <small>G.Forst.</small> – small-leaved fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus obtusifolia|Ficus obtusifolia]]'' <small>Kunth</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pakkensis|Ficus pakkensis]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pallida|Ficus pallida]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus panurensis|Ficus panurensis]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pertusa|Ficus pertusa]]'' <small>L.f.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus petiolaris|Ficus petiolaris]]'' <small>Kunth</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pisocarpa|Ficus pisocarpa]]'' <small>[[Biography:Carl Ludwig Blume|Bl.]]</small>
* ''Ficus platypoda'' <small>Cunn.</small> – desert fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pleurocarpa|Ficus pleurocarpa]]'' <small>DC.</small> – banana fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus polita|Ficus polita]]'' <small>Vahl</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus religiosa|Ficus religiosa]]'' <small>L.</small> – sacred fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus roraimensis|Ficus roraimensis]]'' <small>Berg</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus rubiginosa|Ficus rubiginosa]]'' <small>Desf.</small> – Port Jackson fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus rumphii|Ficus rumphii]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus salicifolia|Ficus salicifolia]]'' <small>Vahl</small> – willow-leaved fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sansibarica|Ficus sansibarica]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus schippii|Ficus schippii]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus schultesii|Ficus schultesii]]'' <small>Dugand</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus schumacheri|Ficus schumacheri]]'' <small>Griseb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sphenophylla|Ficus sphenophylla]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus stuhlmannii|Ficus stuhlmannii]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus subcordata|Ficus subcordata]]'' <small>[[Biography:Carl Ludwig Blume|Bl.]]</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus subpisocarpa|Ficus subpisocarpa]]'' <small>Gagnep.</small>
* ''Ficus subpuberula'' <small>Corner</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus sumatrana|Ficus sumatrana]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus superba|Ficus superba]]'' <small>Miq.</small>
** [[Biology:Ficus superba var. henneana|''Ficus superba'' var. ''henneana'']] <small>(Miq.) Corner</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus thonningii|Ficus thonningii]]'' <small>Blume</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus trichopoda|Ficus trichopoda]]'' <small>Baker</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus trigona|Ficus trigona]]'' <small>L.f.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus trigonata|Ficus trigonata]]'' <small>L.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus triradiata|Ficus triradiata]]'' <small>Corner</small> – red-stipule fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus ursina|Ficus ursina]]'' <small>Standl.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus velutina|Ficus velutina]]'' <small>Willd.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus verruculosa|Ficus verruculosa]]'' <small>Warb.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus virens|Ficus virens]]'' <small>Aiton</small> – white fig
** [[Biology:Ficus virens var. sublanceolata|''Ficus virens'' var. ''sublanceolata'']] <small>(Miq.) Corner</small> – sour fig
* ''[[Biology:Ficus watkinsiana|Ficus watkinsiana]]'' <small>F.M.Bailey</small> – Watkins' fig
{{Div col end}}

===Unknown subgenus===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''Ficus bibracteata''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus callosa|Ficus callosa]]'' Willd.
* ''Ficus cristobalensis''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus hebetifolia|Ficus hebetifolia]]''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus punctata|Ficus punctata]]''
* ''[[Biology:Ficus tsjahela|Ficus tsjahela]]'' <small>Burm.f.</small>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus nymphaeifolia|Ficus nymphaeifolia]]'' <small>Mill.</small>
{{Div col end}}

==Uses==
The wood of fig trees is often soft and the [[Chemistry:Latex|latex]] precludes its use for many purposes. It was used to make mummy caskets in Ancient Egypt. Certain fig species (mainly ''F.&nbsp;cotinifolia'', ''[[Biology:Ficus insipida|F.&nbsp;insipida]]'' and ''F.&nbsp;padifolia'') are traditionally used in [[Place:Mesoamerica|Mesoamerica]] to produce ''papel amate'' ([[Social:Nahuatl|Nahuatl]]: ''āmatl''). ''Mutuba'' (''[[Biology:Ficus natalensis|F.&nbsp;natalensis]]'') is used to produce barkcloth in Uganda. ''Pou'' (''[[Biology:Ficus religiosa|F.&nbsp;religiosa]]'') leaves' shape inspired one of the standard ''kbach rachana'', decorative elements in Cambodian architecture. [[Biology:Ficus benghalensis|Indian banyan]] (''F.&nbsp;benghalensis'') and the Indian rubber plant, as well as other species, have use in [[Biology:Herbalism|herbalism]].{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} The inner bark of an unknown type of wild fig, locally known as ''urú'', was once used by the {{ill|Moré people|es|Pueblo moré}} of Bolivia to produce a fibrous cloth used for clothing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Castedo |first=Luis D. Leigue |date=1957 |title=El Itenez Selvaje |url=https://www.andesacd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/El-It%C3%A9nez-Salvaje.pdf |location=La Paz |publisher=Ministerio de Educación |page=9, 16, 19, 23 |language=es}}</ref>

Figs have figured prominently in some human cultures. There is evidence that figs, specifically the [[Biology:Common fig|common fig]] (''F.&nbsp;carica'') and sycamore fig (''[[Biology:Ficus sycomorus|Ficus sycomorus]]''), were among the first – if not the very first – plant species that were deliberately bred for agriculture in the Middle East, starting more than 11,000 years ago. Nine [[Biology:Subfossil|subfossil]] ''F.&nbsp;carica'' figs dated to about 9400–9200 BCE were found in the early [[History:Neolithic|Neolithic]] village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley, 13&nbsp;km, or 8.1&nbsp;mi, north of [[Place:Tell es-Sultan|Jericho]]). These were a [[Biology:Parthenogenesis|parthenogenetic]] type and thus apparently an early cultivar. This find predates the first known cultivation of [[Biology:Cereal|grain]] in the Middle East by many hundreds of years.{{sfnp|Kislev|Hartmann|Bar-Yosef|2006}}

===Cultivation===
Numerous species of fig are found in cultivation in domestic and office environments, including:<ref name=RHSAZ>{{cite book |editor-last=Brickell |editor-first=Christopher |title=The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants |year=2008 |page=448 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=United Kingdom |isbn=9781405332965}}</ref>
* ''[[Biology:Ficus carica|F. carica]]'', common fig – hardy to {{convert|-10 |C|F|abbr=on}}. Shrub or small tree which can be grown outdoors in mild temperate regions, producing substantial harvests of fruit. Many cultivars are available.
* ''[[Biology:Ficus benjamina|F. benjamina]]'', weeping fig, ficus – hardy to {{convert| 5|C|F|abbr=on}}. Widely used as an indoor plant for the home or the office. It benefits from the dry, warm atmosphere of centrally-heated interiors, and can grow to substantial heights in a favoured position. Several variegated cultivars are available.
* ''[[Biology:Ficus elastica|F. elastica]]'', rubber plant – hardy to {{convert|10 |C|F|abbr=on}}: widely cultivated as a houseplant; several cultivars with variegated leaves
* ''[[Biology:Ficus lyrata|F. lyrata]]'', fiddle-leaf fig – hardy to {{convert|10 |C|F|abbr=on}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus maclellandii|F. maclellandii]]'' – hardy to {{convert|5 |C|F|abbr=on}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus microcarpa|F. microcarpa]]'', Indian laurel – hardy to {{convert|10 |C|F|abbr=on}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus pumila|F. pumila]]'', creeping fig – hardy to {{convert|1 |C|F|abbr=on}}
* ''[[Biology:Ficus rubiginosa|F. rubiginosa]]'', Port Jackson fig – hardy to {{convert|10 |C|F|abbr=on}}

===Cultural and spiritual significance===
{{Further|Religion:Fig leaf|Biology:Figs in the Bible}}

Fig trees have profoundly influenced culture through several religious traditions. Among the more famous species are the sacred fig tree (Pipal, bodhi, bo, or po, ''Ficus religiosa'') and other [[Biology:Banyan|banyan]] figs such as ''Ficus benghalensis''. The oldest living plant of known planting date is a ''Ficus religiosa'' tree known as the Sri Maha Bodhi planted in the temple at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BCE. The common fig is one of two significant trees in [[Religion:Islam|Islam]], and there is a sura in Quran named "The Fig" or At-Tin (سوره تین). In Asia, figs are important in [[Religion:Buddhism|Buddhism]] and [[Religion:Hinduism|Hinduism]]. In [[Philosophy:Jainism|Jainism]], the consumption of any fruit belonging to this genus is prohibited.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0IYAAAAIAAJ |title=Compendium of Jainism |last1=Tukol |first1=T.K. |year=1980 |location=Prasaranga |publisher=Karnatak University |page=206}}</ref> The Buddha is traditionally held to have found ''[[Philosophy:Bodhi|bodhi]]'' (enlightenment) while meditating for 49 days under a sacred fig.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://buddhists.org/buddhist-art/the-bodhi-tree/ |title=The Bodhi Tree: Uniting all Worlds |website=Buddhists.org |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref> The same species was ''Ashvattha'', the "[[Unsolved:World tree|world tree]]" of Hinduism. The ''Plaksa Pra-sravana'' was said to be a fig tree between the roots of which the Sarasvati River sprang forth; it is usually held to be a sacred fig but more probably is ''[[Biology:Ficus virens|Ficus virens]]''. According to the Kikuyu people, sacrifices to Ngai were performed under a sycomore tree (Mũkũyũ) and if one was not available, a fig tree (Mũgumo) would be used. The common fig tree is cited in the [[Religion:Bible|Bible]], where in Genesis 3:7, [[Religion:Adam and Eve|Adam and Eve]] cover their nakedness with fig leaves. The fig fruit is also one of the [[Seven Species|traditional crops of Israel]], and is included in the list of food found in the Promised Land, according to the Torah (Deut. 8). Jesus cursed a fig tree for bearing no fruit ({{bibleverse||Mark|11:12–14|KJV|}}). The fig tree was sacred in ancient {{wipe|Ancient Greece}} and [[Place:Cyprus|Cyprus]], where it was a symbol of fertility.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Ficus religiosa Bo.jpg|Leaves of the sacred fig (''[[Biology:Ficus religiosa|Ficus religiosa]]'')
File:เศียรพระพุทธรูปในรากโพธิ์.jpg|Fig tree roots overgrowing a sandstone Buddha statue, near Wat Maha That in Ayutthaya province, Thailand
Image:Sarkaradevi Temple Ficus Tree.jpg|Ficus tree in front of Sarkaradevi Temple, Kerala, India
</gallery>

==List of famous fig trees==
* ''Ashvattha'' – the [[Unsolved:World tree|world tree]] of [[Religion:Hinduism|Hinduism]], held to be a supernatural ''F.&nbsp;religiosa''
* Bodhi tree – a ''F.&nbsp;religiosa''
* Charybdis Fig Tree of [[Biography:Homer|Homer]]'s ''[[Religion:Odyssey|Odyssey]]'', presumably a ''F.&nbsp;carica''
* Curtain Fig Tree – a ''F.&nbsp;virens''
* Ficus Ruminalis – a ''F.&nbsp;carica''
* ''Plaksa'' – another supernatural fig in Hinduism; usually identified as ''F.&nbsp;religiosa'' but is probably ''F.&nbsp;virens''
* Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree – a ''F.&nbsp;macrophylla''
* Sri Maha Bodhi – another ''F.&nbsp;religiosa'', planted in 288 BCE, the oldest human-planted tree on record
* ''The Barren Fig Tree'' – Matthew 21:19 of the Christian Bible, Jesus put a curse on the tree and used this as an example for believers of the promise of the power faith in the only true God. ''
* The Great Banyan – a ''F.&nbsp;benghalensis'', a [[Biology:Clonal colony|clonal colony]] and once the largest organism known
* Vidurashwatha – "Vidura's Sacred Fig Tree", a village in India named after a famous ''F.&nbsp;religiosa'' that until recently stood there
* Wonderboom – the largest fig tree in Pretoria, South Africa, which has grown very large, through self-[[Biology:Layering|layering]](limbs laying in the ground take root).

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== General references ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal |last=Berg |first=C.C. |title=Flora Malesiana Precursor for the Treatment of Moraceae 4: ''Ficus'' subgenus ''Synoecia'' |journal=Blumea |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=551–571 |date=28 November 2003 |doi=10.3767/000651903X489546 |url=http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/565443}}
* {{cite book |last1=Berg |first1=C.C. |last2=Hijmann |first2=M.E.E. |title=Flora of Tropical East Africa |year=1989 |editor=R.M. Polhill |chapter=Chapter 11: ''Ficus'' |pages=43–86}}
* {{cite book |last1=Berg |first1=C.C. |last2=Corner |first2=E.J.H. |year=2005 |title=Flora malesiana. Series I, Seed plants. Volume 17. Part 2, Moraceae (Ficus) |location=Leiden |publisher=National herbarium Nederland, Universiteit Leiden branch |isbn=978-9-07123-661-7 |oclc=492578589}}
* {{cite book |last1=Carauta |first1=Pedro |last2=Diaz |first2=Ernani |year=2002 |title=Figueiras no Brasil |publisher=Editora UFRJ |location=Rio de Janeiro |isbn=978-85-7108-250-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Condit |first=Ira J |date=1969 |title=Ficus: the exotic species |publisher=University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences |oclc=1086743649}}
* {{cite book |last=Denisowski |first=Paul |year=2007 |url=http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html |title=Chinese–English Dictionary |chapter-url=http://www.mandarintools.com/cgi-bin/wordlook.pl?word=fig&searchtype=english&where=whole |chapter=Fig |access-date=November 1, 2008}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Harrison |first1=Rhett D |year=2005 |title=Figs and the diversity of tropical rain forests |url=http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/Ecol206/Connell1978_IntermedDisturb.pdf |journal=BioScience |volume=55 |issue=12 |pages=1053–1064 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[1053:FATDOT]2.0.CO;2 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kislev |first1=Mordechai E. |last2=Hartmann |first2=Anat |last3=Bar-Yosef |first3=Ofer |year=2006 |title=Early Domesticated Fig in the Jordan Valley |journal=Science |volume=312 |issue=5778 |pages=1372–1374 |doi=10.1126/science.1125910 |pmid=16741119 |bibcode=2006Sci...312.1372K |s2cid=42150441}} [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;312/5778/1372/DC1 Supporting Online Material]
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* {{cite journal |last1=Shanahan |first1=M. |last2=Compton |first2=S. G. |last3=So |first3=Samson |last4=Corlett |first4=Richard |year=2001 |title=Fig-eating by vertebrate frugivores: a global review |journal=Biological Reviews |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=529–572 |doi=10.1017/S1464793101005760 |pmid=11762492 |s2cid=27827864}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20091019170541/http://geocities.com/mikeshanahan/figs/figreview.html Electronic appendices]
* {{cite journal |last1=van Noort |first1=Simon |last2=van Harten |first2=Antonius |title=The species richness of fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae, Pteromalidae) in Yemen |journal=Fauna of Arabia |year=2006 |volume=22 |pages=449–472 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230600455 |access-date=2013-01-01}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.figweb.org/Ficus/index.htm Figweb]—Major reference site for the genus ''Ficus''
* [http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2019/browse/classification/kingdom/Plantae/genus/Ficus/fossil/0/match/1 World checklist of Ficus species from the Catalogue of Life], 845 species supplied by M. Hassler's World Plants.
* [http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/Video/index.htm Video: Interaction of figs and fig wasps]—Multi-award-winning documentary
* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html Fruits of Warm Climates: Fig]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5038116.stm BBC: Fig fossil clue to early farming]

'''Video'''
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUtpmwacoE How the fig tree strangles other plants for survival in the rainforest]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q59798}}

[[Category:Ficus| ]]
[[Category:Moraceae genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ficus}}