Cape fig, Brown cluster fig, Broom cluster fig

Where does Cape fig grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, East Africa, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are about 800-1000 Ficus species. They are mostly in the tropics. There are 120 Ficus species in tropical America.

Status: The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is a commonly used food in West Africa.

Growing Cape fig, Brown cluster fig, Broom cluster fig

Cultivation: Plants normally grow naturally from seed. The seeds are very fine. They can be grown from cuttings. Stem cuttings can be treated with rooting hormone. It can be cut back and will re-grow. The pollinator wasps are Ceratosolen capensis, Ceratosolen flabellatus and Ceratosolen silvestrianus.

Edible Uses: The ripe figs are edible but often infected with insects. They can be eaten raw. The seeds are removed. The fruit are eaten in porridge. They can be used for jam or preserves. They can be dried. The young leaves are cooked and eaten. The roots above the ground are eaten when young. The bark is chewed with cola nuts to reduce thirst.

Production: Trees are quick growing. Fruit are usually collected at the end of the rainy season. They are harvested by climbing the trees. A fruit weighs about 12 g.

Nutrition Info

References

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