Ficus neriifolia

Description

Ficus neriifolia grows as a tree up to 15 m (50 ft) tall with smooth, dark grey bark on its trunk. The hairless, leathery oval to lanceolate (spear-shaped) leaves are up to 8–18 cm (3 1⁄4–7 in) long by 3–6.5 cm (1 1⁄8–2 1⁄2 in) wide, and often asymmetrical in shape. The 8–10 cm (3 1⁄4–4 in) diameter figs are rounded, oval, or cylindrical and grow in pairs off older branches. James Edward Smith described Ficus neriifolia in 1810. In 1965, E.H.Corner regarded the species as having three valid varieties : F. neriifolia var. nemoralis, F. neriifolia var. fieldingii and F. neriifolia var. trilepis. However, Wu and colleagues did not treat them as distinct in 2003. Chaudhary and colleagues observed that the receptacles are distinct and hence further investigation is needed