Ficus nervosa Heyne ex Roth (MORACEAE)
Common names
Malayalam: Echamaram.
Tamil: Nir-al.
Description: Towering trees, reaching heights of 20-25 meters, lack aerial roots and contain pearly-white milky sap. The cylindrical trunk has smooth, dark-colored bark, and young parts are finely pubescent. Leaves elliptic, oblong-lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 8-20 x 3-7.5 cm, narrowed or rounded at base, abruptly acuminate at apex, the acumen 1.5 – 2.5 cm long, entire, shining on both surfaces, the lower minutely tuberculate; basal nerves 3-5; lateral nerves 7-10 pairs, prominent beneath; petioles 1.5 – 2.3 cm long; stipules lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, membranous, ca 1.5 cm long. Receptacles pedunculate in pairs, axillary slightly verrucose when young, puberulous; branch at the base of receptacle 0, base of peduncle 3. Perianth lobes 3 each in fertile and gall flowers, 2 in male. Male flowers: few only near the mouth of receptacle. Stamen 1; anther single. Gall flowers: sessile or pedicullate. Ovary ovoid, smooth; style short. Fertile flowers: usually sessile. Ovary 1-locular; style long; stigma clavate. Fig subglobose, ca 1.3 cm across, red when ripe; peduncle ca 1.5 cm long. Seeds numerous, minute.
Flowering & Fruiting: November – March.
Distribution: India: In the hills of most districts except the driest, up to 1500 m. Sikkim, Himalaya, Assam, Rampa Hills, Vizagapatnam. Occasional in deciduous to semi-evergreen forests of Western Ghats. Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Malaya peninsula andArchipelago, China.
