Ficus ampelos

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Ficus guyeri var. sibuyanensis
• Ficus ampelos var. soronensis
• Ficus tenuicuspidata var. major
• Ficus todayensis
• Ficus asperior
• Ficus ampelos var. bandana
• Ficus ampelos f. bogoriensis
• Ficus ampelos var. bogoriensis
• Ficus ampelos f. incrassata
• Ficus ampelos var. laevior
• Ficus ampelos var. rugosa
• Ficus ampelos var. sublanceolata
• Ficus bandana
• Ficus biglandulosa
• Ficus blepharosepala
• Ficus fachikoogi
• Ficus fastigiata
• Ficus tashiroi
• Ficus soronensis
• Ficus validicaudata
• Ficus sibuyanensis
• Ficus rubricaulis
• Ficus rudis
• Ficus javensis
• Ficus javensis var. subcrenata
• Ficus irisana
• Ficus irisana var. validicaudata
• Ficus hayatae
• Ficus guyeri
• Ficus guyeri var. minimifolia
• Ficus guyeri var. validicaudata

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Rosales. Finally, it resides in the family Moraceae and is identified by the genus Ficus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a widespread distribution across several key regions in Asia. In Eastern Asia, its presence is noted in both the Nansei-shoto islands and Taiwan. Moving toward the Indian Subcontinent, the species can be found in Bangladesh. Its range extends into Indo-China, specifically covering the Nicobar Islands. Finally, the plant is also distributed within Malesia, notably on the island of Borneo.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Ficus ampelos is characterized by its nature as a perennial species, allowing it to establish a long-term presence in its habitat through multiple growing seasons. Throughout its existence, the plant maintains an evergreen habit, retaining its foliage year-round rather than shedding it seasonally. This combination of a perennial lifecycle and evergreen deciduousness ensures a continuous physiological presence, providing a stable structure and constant photosynthetic capacity over its extended lifespan.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Ficus ampelos is characterized by its robust growth form, primarily manifesting as a woody tree. It exhibits a substantial stature with a mean plant height of approximately 7.75 m. While it functions as a tree, its climbing habits are notable; it can act as a self-supporting liana or vine, possessing the ability to grow in a self-supporting manner rather than being strictly obligatory or facultative in its climbing mechanism. The plant is distinctly woody in its structural composition, providing the necessary rigidity for its significant vertical development.

Climber :

self-supporting

Growth form :

tree

Plant height mean:

7.75 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Ficus ampelos is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its metabolic approach to carbon fixation and energy production. The plant's foliar architecture displays significant morphological variation, with leaf lengths typically averaging 9 cm, ranging from a minimum of 6 cm to a maximum of 12 cm. Correspondingly, the leaf width exhibits a mean value of 4.5 cm, with individual leaves measuring between a minimum of 3 cm and a maximum of 6 cm in width. Furthermore, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the uptake of available nitrogen from the soil through its root system rather than through symbiotic nitrogen-fixing processes.

Leaf length max:

12 cm

Leaf length mean:

9 cm

Leaf length min:

6 cm

Leaf width max:

6 cm

Leaf width mean:

4.5 cm

Leaf width min:

3 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Ficus ampelos is governed by a specialized biotic pollination syndrome, relying primarily on insect vectors to facilitate the transfer of pollen. This intricate process is characterized by a highly specific interaction between the plant and its pollinators, ensuring the successful fertilization required for its reproductive cycle. Once fertilization occurs, the plant develops fleshy fruits, which serve as the primary vessel for seed dispersal. The seeds contained within these fleshy fruits are remarkably consistent in size, maintaining a seed volume of exactly 0.7 mm³, with both the minimum and maximum recorded values meeting this mean measurement.

Fruit dryness :

fleshy

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed volume max:

0.7 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Ficus ampelos has 2 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, stem.

Leaf

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Pharmaceutical biology
3. Frontiers in veterinary science
4. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Stem

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Activities

Ficus ampelos has 2 reported activities identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Gastroprotective.

Antibacterial

1. Frontiers in veterinary science

Gastroprotective

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Preparations

Ficus ampelos has 4 reported preparations identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include aqueous leaf extracts, ethanol extracts, leaves, organic and aqueous leaf extracts.

Aqueous leaf extracts

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Ethanol extracts

1. Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS

Leaves

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Organic and aqueous leaf extracts

1. Frontiers in veterinary science