male floM'ers vor}^ fe^r, scattered, pedicillate, the perianth of 2 large fìat pieces; anther
almost sessile ; gall flowers mostly pedicillate, the perianth o£ 3 or 4 long spathulate
pieces, ovary ovoid, smooth; fertile female flowers sessile, the perianth pieces shortspathulate,
achene ovoid-roniform, longer than the style, stigma large.
VAU. COMOSA.
Fruit large, globose, narrowed at the base, about '75 in. across when ripe ; pieces of the
perianth of all the flowers lanceolate-acuniiuate, not spathulate,
The typical form is connnonly planted all over the Malayan Peninsula and Archipelago,
where it is usually known as Waringin. The only wild specimens I have seen in herbaria are
from Timor, Sumatra, and Celebes. Beddome and Dalzell quote it from "Western Peninsular
India, but I have never seen a -wild specimen from that quarter. The variety comosa is
common and wild in the eastern (less so in the western) hills of the Indian Peninsula, at the
base of the Eastern Himalayas, in other hilly parts of Assam, Chittagong, and Bm-inah.
J^xcept by the fruit, the variety is absolutely undistiugidshable in field or herbarium from
the typical fern).
The Linnsean name Benjamina is retained for tliis species, as it is midesirable to alter
names long cm'rent. But it is not at all clear that Linnsus did not fas Roxburgh understood
him to do) mean this name to be applied to the spccies named below retusa var. nitida.
I n his Curomandel Plants Roxburgh published, m 1798, an excellent figm-e and description
of F. comosa, and I rather think his is the name which ought to be kept tij).
PL.\.TE 53.—Fruiting-branch of-F. Linn. Sepaj-ate figures of apex and base
of receptacle, basal bracts, and stipules: of natural sisc. B.—Frui ting-branch of var. comosa :
of natural size.
PL.\.TE 83". —1, male flower ; 2, pedicillate gall flower; 3, fertile female : all enlarged.
50. Ficus STEICTA, Miq. in Ann. Mus. Lugd. Bat. iii. 2^^.— Urost. strictum, Miq. PI.
Jungh. 50; Fl. Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2. 344; Zoil. Syst. Verz. 91.
A tall tree (/f/e Miqucl), of which all parts are glabrous; leaves coriaceous, petiolate,
oblong to ovate-lanceolate, slightly inequilateral, the apex acute, margin entii'o, tlnckened»
base rounded or narrowed, not nerved; primary lateral neiwes not more prominent
than the secondary nerves, all straight, nearly at right angles to the thick and prominent
niidi-ib and anastomosing near the margin; length of blade 3-5 to 5 in.; petioles stout,
about -5 in. long; stipules lanceolate, -35 to 1 in. long, coriaceous; recej^tacles sessile,
axillaiy, in paii-s, globular, smooth, about -7 in. across, yellow when ripe; basal bracts
])ersibtcnt, rather large, broadly ovate-cordate at the base; male flowers scattered, not
Tiunierous, elongate, sessile, the perianth of 3 spathulate pieces ; stamen single, the anther
cordate, on a long thin filament; gall flowers sessile or pedicillate, the perianth gamoplijllous
4-toothed, the ovary smooth, style rather short; fertile females sessile, the perianth of
4 acuminate pieces, style elongate, stigma flat, achene minutely tuberculate.
"Western Java.
A species closely allied to F. Benjamina, Linn, by its venation, and also to F. elastiea, Bl.
PLA-TE 53.—Fruiting-branch of F. stricta, Miq. with separate figures of apex and base of
a receptacle and of stipules: all of natural sise.
PLATE 83''%—l, male flower; 2, pedicillate gall flower; 3, fertile female flower: all
UROSTI&MA. 45
51. FICUS ELASTICA. Roxi. Eort. Beng. 65; Bl. in Biß. U6; Roxi. Fl. Ind. iii. 541;
Wi<jht Ic. 663 ; Grif. Ic. Fl. As. Dicot. t. 552; Brandts For. Floia 417; Kurs
For. Flora Brit. Burm. ii. 444.—¿Tmi. elaslicim, Miq. Lond. Jom-n. Bot. vi.
578; Fl. Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2, 347. tab. 23 ; "Wall. Cat. 4557A, B, C, D.— Visiania
elasHca, Gasp. Nov. Gen. Fic. ^.—Maerophthalma elastica, Gasp. Ric. 83,
tab. 8.—7ar ramor, Urost. civcumcissum, Miq. PI. Jungh. 292; Fl. Ind.
Bat. i. pt. 2. 3 4 4 .—I c a r e t , Miq. 1. c. Urost. odoraiwm, Miq.
PL Jungh. 49 ; Fl . Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2. 348. tab. 24.
A large tree, usually epiphytic, all parts quite glabrous; leaves shortly petiolate, coriaceous,
shinmg, oblong to elliptic, apex with a rather abrupt, bluntish caudicle, edges entire,
base rounded or narrowed, obscurely 3- to 5-nerved; lateral primary nerves numerous, but
hardly to be distinguished from the numerous secondary nerves, all diverging nearly at
right angles from the thick prominent micbib and running nearly straight almost to the
margin; length of blade 3 to 12 inches, of petiole 1 to 2-5 in.; stipule single, sub-persistent,
coloured, almost half as long as the leaves, lanceolate, flaccid; receptacles in pairs, sessile,
in the axils of fallen leaves, covered at first by hooded involucres which fall off and leave
a basal involucral entii-e-edged cup, when ripe ovate-oblong, smooth, greenish yellow,
about -5 in. long; male flowers scattered over interior of receptacle, pedicillate, the
perianth of 4 ovate pieces; anther ovate, sessile; gall flownrs with 4-leaved perianth, the
ovary smooth, style sub-terminal, hooked; fertile female flowers mostly sessile, the achene ovoid
tuberculate, style long, stigma large sub-capitate.
In damp forests at the base of the Eastern Himalaya, the Khasi Hills, Assam, Burmah,
and the Malayan region—generally epij^hytic.
This species, in spite of the numerous names which it has received, is not in reality
very variable. The gi-eatest difference observable is that between the leaves of old fruitingbranches
and those on young shoots, the former being very much smaller and broader in
proportion than those of the latter. In all states the close parallel straight nervation of
the leaves (almost resembling that of a monocotyledon) and the enormous " stipules" form
un mistake able diagnostic marks.
Tliis species was originally named elastica by Roxb., and plants under this name were
sent to Java, where however the plant is indigenous and is known .to the natives as /caret—a.
name subsequently utilised as a specific name by Miquel. Blmne published a description
of the plant under Roxbui-gh's name in his Bijdragen, which appeared seven years before
Roxlmrgh's Flora Indica was published, the death of the latter botanist having caused the
publication of his Flora Indica to be delayed until 1833.
In this species ai-e well developed the involuci-al hoods which cover the young receptacles
in many species of the section ürostigma, but which usually fall off very early
and are rarely seen in di-ied specimens. In F. elastica these persist for some time, and
• are often seen even in old herbarium specimens. The leaf-scales, too, which cover the young
buds, and which in many (especially of the deciduous) species of Ficus gi-ow pari passu
with the leaves, but fall off before the latter have obtained theii- full size, here persist
until the leaves are nearly fall gi-own. They ai-e very large and coloured, and are ordinaiily
called 'stipules-'
PLATE 54.—-F. etoiz'c«, Roxb. Fruiting-branch. 8, stipules; 9 & 10, apex and base of
receptacles: of natural size. 1, vertical section of receptacle; 2, male flower; 5, the same, the