Ficus platyphylla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species:
F. platyphylla
Binomial name
Ficus platyphylla

Ficus platyphylla is a deciduous tree within the family Moraceae. Common local names include Gamji in Hausa and Gaba or Kobo in Bambara.[1]

Description

Species grows up to 20 metres (66 ft) tall, the crown is large and spreading while the bark is pale brown with scales and fissures, the species sometimes grows as an epyphyte.[2] Leaves, alternate, petioles and stipules are present; leaflets are ovate to elliptic in outline, up to 25 centimetres (10 in) long and 17 centimetres (7 in) wide. The fruits are globose in shape, reddish and small, usually between 1–1.5 centimetres (0.4–0.6 in) in diameter, they are arranged in clusters of 1–5 in leaf axils on peduncles that can reach 5 centimetres (2 in) in length.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Commonly found in the savannah regions of West and East Africa, from Sengal eastwards to Somalia.[3]

Uses

The species is used as an antidote to poision in different cultures.[4] In Nigeria, the stem bark extracts of the plant is used in ethnomedicine to treat a variety of ailments including depression, epilepsy and psychosis.[5] It is also used to expel parasitic worms from the body.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "M.M.P.N.D. - Sorting Ficus names". www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  2. 1 2 Flora of Somalia. 2: Angiospermae (Tiliaceae - Apiaceae) (1. publ ed.). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens. 1999. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-900347-77-8.
  3. 1 2 Lansky, Ephraim Philip; Paavilainen, Helena Maaria (2011). Figs: the genus Ficus. Traditional herbal medicines for modern times. Boca Raton: CRC press. ISBN 978-1-4200-8966-0.
  4. ↑ Shi, Yinxian; Mon, Aye Mya; Fu, Yao; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Chen; Yang, Xuefei; Wang, Yuhua (2018). "The genus Ficus (Moraceae) used in diet: Its plant diversity, distribution, traditional uses and ethnopharmacological importance". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 226: 185–196. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2018.07.027.
  5. ↑ Chindo, Ben A.; Anuka, Joseph A.; McNeil, Lilly; Yaro, Abdullahi H.; Adamu, Simon S.; Amos, Samson; Connelly, William K.; Lees, George; Gamaniel, Karniyus S. (2009-03-30). "Anticonvulsant properties of saponins from Ficus platyphylla stem bark". Brain Research Bulletin. 78 (6): 276–282. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.12.005. ISSN 0361-9230.
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