Ficus Virens
Family : Moraceae
Common Name : White Fig
Hindi Name : Pilkhan, Pakhad
Marathi : Bassari, Gandhaumbara
Malayalam : Cherala
Sanskrit Name : Plaksa
Synonyms : Ficus infectoria
Tree Characteristics :
White Fig is a large strangling fig with a spreading canopy. The aerial roots commonly wrap around the main stem instead of forming props. The leaves are from 8-19 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, with a whitish midrib. Stipules are less than 1 cm long. The pea-sized figs are in pairs and greenish-white to brown with spots. It is a beautiful shade tree. Leaves begin to drop mid February. New leafs emerge in March with colors of purple and red and bronze, giving the tree a wonderful look. The color transformation goes on till April.
Nursery Practice :
Fig seeds are very fine; finer than small grains of sand.* I soak them in a small cup of water for two days. Discard all materials that float and only use the seed on the bottom. Scatter the seed over the surface of moistened and finely chopped sphagnum moss or a bonsai soil of inorganic soil*. Underneath the moss use a normal bonsai soil suitable for plants. Try to use as inorganic a soil mix as possible. The soil and moss are then kept moist until germination occurs. Water again only when the soil gets slightly dry. Keep the seeds warm.
Economic Use:
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The leaves are known in Thai cuisine as phak lueat. They are eaten boiled as a vegetable in Northern Thai curries.
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Medicinal uses - A decoction of the bark is used as an injection in the treatment of leucorrhoea. Applied externally, a bark decoction is used as a wash on ulcers and as a gargle in salivation.
