Ficus uncinata

Ficus uncinata, also known as earth fig in English and as ara entimau in Iban, is a species of flowering plant, a fruit tree in the fig family, that is native to Southeast Asia.^[2]

Ficus uncinata
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Species:	F. uncinata
Binomial name
Ficus uncinata (King) Becc.
Synonyms
Ficus geocarpa var. uncinata King Ficus uncinata var. gracilis Corner Ficus uncinata var. parva Corner Ficus uncinata var. pilosior Corner Ficus uncinata var. subbeccarii Corner Ficus uncinata var. truncata Corner

Description

The species grows as a shrub or small tree to 8 m in height, with a bole of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height and a DBH of not over 15 cm (6 in), from which stolons (which constitute an inflorescence and are sometimes called "stolon-panicles") extend along the ground surface for up to 10 m (33 ft).^[3] The hairy, greenish-brown leaves are 21–27 cm (8.3–10.6 in) long by 10–11 cm (3.9–4.3 in) wide. The inflorescences occur along the stolons. The pink, red or brownish-purple pyriform or globose fruits are 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) in diameter, and are covered by spine-like bracts.^[2]

The ground-level figs are eaten and the seeds dispersed by pigs, deer, ground squirrels and rats. The function of the bracts is to prevent the fruits being swallowed whole by ground-level seed predators, such as pheasants and partridges.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in Borneo and possibly in Sumatra. It occurs along streams and in hill areas and mountain forest up to an elevation of 2,000 m (6,560 ft).^[2]