Ficus natalensis

Botanical Description

Ficus natalensis is an evergreen or shortly deciduous shrub or tree with a wide-spreading crown; it can grow from 10 - 30 metres tall. It often starts life as an epiphyte in the branch of a tree and can eventually send down aerial roots that, once they reach the ground, provide extra nutrients that help the plant grow more vigorously. These aerial roots can completely encircle the trunk of the host tree, constricting its growth - this, coupled with the more vigorous top growth, can lead to the fig outcompeting and killing the tree in which it is growing[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. , 466 Title Useful Plants of Nyasaland Publication Author Williamson J. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland. Year 1955 ISBN Description Brief details of the uses of almost 500 species of plants. ]]. As the tree grows older it produces a few to many aerial roots from the crown that can become pillar roots that support the crown and allow it to spread further[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. , 466 Title Useful Plants of Nyasaland Publication Author Williamson J. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland. Year 1955 ISBN Description Brief details of the uses of almost 500 species of plants. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of fibre. It is sometimes cultivated to provide shade in plantations and villages, and also as a living fence[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ].