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Ficus racemosa
Ficus racemosa, the cluster fig, red river fig or gular (Hindi: गूलर), is a species of plant in the mulberry family Moraceae. It is native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is a fast-growing plant with large, very rough leaves, attaining the size of a large shrub, or even larger in old specimens. A distinctive feature of its growth habit is the cauliflorous nature of its fruiting — the syconia (figs) grow in dense clusters directly from the trunk and larger branches. The ripe figs are a favourite food of the rhesus macaque, and the plant also serves as a host for the caterpillars of the two-brand crow butterfly (Euploea sylvester) of northern Australia.
The species is of cultural importance in Hinduism and Buddhism. The tree is also important to native people of Borneo such as in Sabah, where it is called Nunuk Ragang.
The cluster fig is deciduous or semi-evergreen, reaching 15–20 m in height. Older specimens can grow quite large and gnarled, up to 30 m high. It has a wide-spreading crown with irregular branches and a thick, often buttressed trunk covered in smooth greyish bark that may flake with age. Like other species in the genus Ficus, the tree produces milky latex which can irritate the skin. The tree has a shallow and extensive root system, often developing aerial roots in humid environments.
The leaves of the cluster fig are simple and alternate, with lanceolate stipules measuring 1–2 cm in length that are pubescent and often persistent on young shoots. The petiole is slender, grooved along the upper side, 1–5 cm long, and becomes brown and scurfy with age. The leaf blade (lamina) ranges from 6–15 × 3.5–6 cm and varies in shape — ovate, obovate, elliptic-oblong or elliptic-lanceolate. The surface is membranous and glabrous, often developing a blistered appearance upon drying.
The flowers are unisexual and borne within a syconium, developing on short leafless branches, warty tubercles of the trunk or larger branches. The syconia are subglobose to pear-shaped, attached by a stout peduncle. Fig wasps such as Ceratosolen sp. pollinate the flowers by entering the ostiole, which is flat or slightly sunken. The mature syconium measures about 3 cm in diameter and turns orange or dark crimson when ripe, containing granulate achenes.
The cluster fig is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia, with a natural range extending from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, and eastwards to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, commonly found in lowland forests, riverbanks and open woodlands, as well as in rural villages and temple grounds, where it is often cultivated for its religious significance, shade and edible figs.
The species grows well in moist, well-drained soils, tolerating both periodic flooding and dry conditions, and can often be seen along roadsides and near watercourses.
According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Audumbara tree was created from the force of Indra, the leader of the gods that came out of his flesh when he overindulged in soma:
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Ficus racemosa
Ficus racemosa, the cluster fig, red river fig or gular (Hindi: गूलर), is a species of plant in the mulberry family Moraceae. It is native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is a fast-growing plant with large, very rough leaves, attaining the size of a large shrub, or even larger in old specimens. A distinctive feature of its growth habit is the cauliflorous nature of its fruiting — the syconia (figs) grow in dense clusters directly from the trunk and larger branches. The ripe figs are a favourite food of the rhesus macaque, and the plant also serves as a host for the caterpillars of the two-brand crow butterfly (Euploea sylvester) of northern Australia.
The species is of cultural importance in Hinduism and Buddhism. The tree is also important to native people of Borneo such as in Sabah, where it is called Nunuk Ragang.
The cluster fig is deciduous or semi-evergreen, reaching 15–20 m in height. Older specimens can grow quite large and gnarled, up to 30 m high. It has a wide-spreading crown with irregular branches and a thick, often buttressed trunk covered in smooth greyish bark that may flake with age. Like other species in the genus Ficus, the tree produces milky latex which can irritate the skin. The tree has a shallow and extensive root system, often developing aerial roots in humid environments.
The leaves of the cluster fig are simple and alternate, with lanceolate stipules measuring 1–2 cm in length that are pubescent and often persistent on young shoots. The petiole is slender, grooved along the upper side, 1–5 cm long, and becomes brown and scurfy with age. The leaf blade (lamina) ranges from 6–15 × 3.5–6 cm and varies in shape — ovate, obovate, elliptic-oblong or elliptic-lanceolate. The surface is membranous and glabrous, often developing a blistered appearance upon drying.
The flowers are unisexual and borne within a syconium, developing on short leafless branches, warty tubercles of the trunk or larger branches. The syconia are subglobose to pear-shaped, attached by a stout peduncle. Fig wasps such as Ceratosolen sp. pollinate the flowers by entering the ostiole, which is flat or slightly sunken. The mature syconium measures about 3 cm in diameter and turns orange or dark crimson when ripe, containing granulate achenes.
The cluster fig is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia, with a natural range extending from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, and eastwards to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, commonly found in lowland forests, riverbanks and open woodlands, as well as in rural villages and temple grounds, where it is often cultivated for its religious significance, shade and edible figs.
The species grows well in moist, well-drained soils, tolerating both periodic flooding and dry conditions, and can often be seen along roadsides and near watercourses.
According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Audumbara tree was created from the force of Indra, the leader of the gods that came out of his flesh when he overindulged in soma: