Ficus hispida L. f.

എരുമനാക്ക്

Family : Moraceae

Synonym : Ficus oppositifolia Roxb.

Common Names : Erumanakk, Kattatthi, Thondi

Flowering Period : September-May

Distribution : Indo-Malesia to Australia

Habitat : Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests, also in the plains

Uses : Unripe green fruits are cooked as a vegetable whilst ripe fruits are eaten fresh. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of fevers. The bark is antiperiodic, emetic and tonic. The juice of the fig is used in the treatment of liver problems. A fiber obtained from the inner bark is used for cordage.

Key Characters :

Trees, to 10 m high laxly branched. Leaves simple, opposite. Flowers unisexual; inflorescence a syconia, dioecious. Syconium yellow.