Creeping Fig

This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Creeping Fig is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:

Creeping Fig

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Species: F. pumila
Binomial name
Ficus pumila
L.

Ficus pumila (creeping fig or climbing fig) is a woody evergreen vine that is native to East Asia. As the common names would suggest, it has a creeping habit and is often used as a houseplant. It is hardy and fast growing and requires little in the way of care as long as the soil is not allowed to dry out between waterings. There are several cultivars, including a variegated and crinkled leaf form.

In warmer climates it can be grown outdoors, but it can become invasive and cover landscape features if not contained. It should not be allowed to climb houses or wooden structures, as the woody tendrils can damage buildings.

This plant requires the fig wasp Blastophaga pamila Hill for pollination.

Varieties

Uses

Dried inside out fruit of F. pumila var awkeotsang, ready for use
Dried inside out fruit of F. pumila var awkeotsang, ready for use

Other then its use as a decorative plant, the fruit of F. pumila var. awkeotsang is also used in cuisine. In Taiwan, its fruit is turned inside out and dried. The seeds are scraped off and a gel is extracted from their surface with water and allowed to set and form a jelly known is Taiwan is aiyu jelly or aiyuzi (愛玉子).

External links

Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 1 April 2008, at 04:32.

Wikipedia Authorship and Review

Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.

Wikipedia Usage Guidelines

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Creeping Fig".

The URL for this specific entry is:

All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.