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our trees

Large-leaved Rock Fig, Mhawa, Ficus abutilifolia
The Large-leaved Rock Fig is well adapted to hugging rock faces, and commonly seen
along the eastern edge of Botswana. It is a small to medium tree, and is deciduous to
semi-deciduous with conspicuous white roots. It is indigenous to Botswana, and the African
continent and enjoys hot conditions in low altitudes, and is commonly associated with
rocky outcrops.
Pollination of flowers within the receptacles is carried out by tiny wasps which enter
through the ostiole, a small opening at the tip of the receptacle. Two wasp species presently
known to effect pollination in F. abutilifolia are Elisabethiella comptoni and Nigeriella fusciceps,
recorded from Malawi and Nigeria respectively (Burrows & Burrows 2003).

The tasty fruits are enjoyed by people, birds, fruit bats, and a variety of other animals. It
is a beautiful tree to have in the garden if you have any rocky outcrops, the roots look
fascinating year-round and the heart-shaped leaves are also very attractive. It makes a good
shade tree and there are also various medicinal uses recorded.
It is one of the more difficult figs to propagate, but can be grown from seed or cutting. If
growing in the garden, be aware of the agressive root system. It is fairly frost tolerant and
very low maintenance. Text & Pics: by S C (Ref: http://pza.sanbi.org/)

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