Economic importance of Ficus spp.

Botanical name:

1. F. krishnae 
2. F. glomerata
3. F. benjamina

Family:  Moraceae

Origin: India

Description: The tree has gracefully drooping branchlets and glossy leaves, oval with an acuminate tip. The fruit is distinct. The fruit is in fact an enclosed inflorescence, sometimes referred to as a syconium, an urn-like structure lined on the inside with the fig’s tiny flowers. Possess a white to yellowish sap (latex).                                                                                                       

Economic Importance:

• F. benjamina Wood is suitable for making match- boxes. Bark is used for making ropes. Decoction of leaves is mixed with oil and applied to ulcers.
• F. glomerata powder from roasted fruits is used as breakfast food. Leaves used as fodder. Leaves used also in bilious affections. Bark given in diarrhoea and diabetes. Fruits considered stomachic and carminative, used in hemoptysis. Latex used in piles and diarrhoea; also used for bird- lime. Wood lasts well under water and used for well- curbs, cheap furniture, and fuse box fittings; also suitable for match- boxes. Bark yields tannin. Decoction of bark used as a vulnerary.