Moraceae
Ficus

Ficus scassellatii Pamp.

First published in Bull. Soc. Bot. Ital. 1915: 15 (1915)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Somalia to S. Tropical Africa. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Moraceae, C.C. Berg (University of Bergen). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Tree up to 50 m., hemi-epiphytic, secondarily terrestrial.
Morphology Twigs
Leafy twigs 3–8 mm. thick, glabrous or minutely puberulous, periderm flaking off older parts when dry.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in spirals; lamina coriaceous, oblong to oblanceolate, obovate or elliptic, 6–20(–28) × 3–8 cm., apex shortly and bluntly acuminate to rounded, base ± acute, margin entire; both surfaces glabrous; lateral veins 8–18 pairs, gradually becoming stronger towards the apex; tertiary venation reticulate; petiole 0.5–2.5(–3.5) cm. long, 2–3 mm. thick, epiderm occasionally flaking off; stipules 0.3–2 cm. long, free, glabrous or minutely puberulous, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Infructescences
Figs 1–2 in the leaf-axils; peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm. long or figs sessile to subsessile; basal bracts 3–5 mm. long, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle often shortly stipitate at least when dry, globose to ellipsoid, 3–4.5 cm. in diameter when fresh, 1.2–2(–3) cm. in diameter when dry, ± sparsely minutely puberulous, green at maturity; wall 4–5 mm. thick, not spongy; apex in dry material protruding up to 7 mm.
[FTEA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Type
S3, “Bidi, Goscia”, Scassellati ser. 5, 31 (FT lecto.)
Morphology General Habit
Tree up to 20 m (elsewhere to 50 m) tall, epiphytic at first
Morphology Branches
Branchlets glabrescent, bark flaking off when older
Morphology Leaves
Leaves spirally arranged; stipules 0.5–2 cm long, free, caducous; petiole 0.8–2.5 cm long; blade leathery, oblong to oblanceolate or obovate, usually widest above the middle, 6–18 x 3–6 cm, base cuneate, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate, glabrous on both surfaces, lateral veins in 8–18 pairs, tertiary venation reticulate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Figs 1–2 in leaf axils; peduncles 0.5–1.5 cm long (in Somalia), basal bracts 3–5 mm long, persistent; receptacle shortly stipitate, ± globose, 1.2–2 cm in diam., sparsely puberulous, apex with ostiole slightly protruding.
Distribution
S3; Kenya, Tanzania, eastern Dem. Rep. Congo, Malawi, Zimbabwe
Ecology
Near sea level–50 m.
Note
In Somalia only subsp. scassellatii. This differs from the only other subspecies, subsp. thikaensis C.C. Berg (restricted to a small area in upland Kenya), in having broader leaves in relation to length and pedunculate figs with protruding apex.
[FSOM]

Moraceae, C. C. Berg. Flora Zambesiaca 9:6. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Tree up to 50 m. tall, hemi-epiphytic, secondarily terrestrial.
Morphology Twigs
Leafy twigs 3–8 mm. thick, glabrous or minutely puberulous, peridenn of older parts flaking off when dry.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves spirally arranged; lamina oblong to oblanceolate, obovate or elliptic (6)10–20(28) x 3–8(10) cm., coriaceous; apex shortly and usually bluntly acuminate to rounded; base subacute; margin entire; both surfaces glabrous; lateral veins 8–18 pairs, gradually becoming stronger towards the apex, tertiary venation reticulate; petiole 5–25(35) mm. long, 2–3 mm. thick, epidermis not flaking off when dry; stipules 3–20 mm. long, free, glabrous or minutely puberulous, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Figs solitary or in pairs in the leaf axils; peduncle 5–15 mm. long; basal bracts 3–5 mm. long, persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle globose to ellipsoid, often shortly stipitate at least when dry, 4–4.5 cm. in diam. when fresh, 1.2–2 cm. in diam. when dry, sparsely minutely puberulous, green at maturity; wall (1)4–5 mm. thick, not spongy, apex (in dry material) protruding up to 7 mm.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0