Ficus dammaropsis

Ficus dammaropsis
Ficus dammaropsis showing large leaves and syconia (fruit of figs)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Subgenus:	F. subg. Sycomorus
Species:	F. dammaropsis
Binomial name
Ficus dammaropsis Diels
Synonyms
Dammaropsis kingiana

A young highland breadfruit, centre, in Whangarei, New Zealand

Immature fruits at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Syconia (fruit) of the plant Ficus dammaropsis.

Ficus dammaropsis, called kapiak in Tok Pisin, is a tropical fig tree with huge pleated leaves 60 cm (24 in) across. It is native to the highlands and highlands fringe of New Guinea. It generally grows at altitudes of between 850 and 2,750 metres (2,790 and 9,020 ft). Its fruit, the world's largest figs (syconia), are edible but rarely eaten except as an emergency food. The young leaves are pickled or cooked and eaten as a vegetable with pig meat by highlanders.^[1]

The lowland form of this species found commonly below 900 meters is recognized as a distinct species, .

Cultivation[]

With its bold tropical leaves and relative tolerance of cold, F. dammaropsis is cultivated as an ornamental tree in frost-free climates.

References[]

• R. Michael Bourke (nd). "Indigenous fruit in Papua New Guinea" (PDF). Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. The Australian National University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
• R.N. Kambuou (1996). "Papua New Guinea: Country Report" (PDF). FAO International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources, (Leipzig,1996). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 2008-06-19.

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