PRICKLE FIG Ficus densechini Corner (1939) SECTION KISSOCYCEA ENDEMIC
Latin: Dense prickles- the label for the Kayan Mentarang (East Kalimantan) collection above says “bark reddish brown, very spiny. Spines c. 0.5 cm long.
Plant: A scarce endemic root climber up tree trunks in hill forest on Kinabalu up to 1,600m and locally elsewhere in the Bornean mountains south to the Meratus mountains in SE Kalimantan. Ripe figs are sexually dimorphic as with Ficus punctata.
Leaf: Large 12-18 long x 6-10.5 wide with an exceptionally long petiole. The underside of the leaf is strongly tessellated (tiled) with white square spots as with other root climbers in Section Kissosycea
Sex: Dioecious. Separate male and female plants and figs. The figs are large, smooth and ripen brown to reddish brown. The ripe figs of both sexes are glaborous (smooth) without hairs. Male figs are large and round 6-12cm in diameter with long stipes (stalks) up to 3.5 cm long. Female figs are smaller than male figs and oblong rather than round, also with with a long stipe.
Similar species: (1) Ficus punctata: a common root climber throughout Borneo The figs ripen red not brown and the leaves are much smaller. (2) A rare montane root climber F. carri the figs are oblong, hairy and a dirty white when ripe and the leaves much smaller. (3) F. grandiflora a locally common root climber with similar young leaves but the petioles (leaf stalks) are much shorter. The oblong figs ripen green to orange red.
Distinguish: (1) From other root climbing figs with long leaves and large figs by the very long leaf petioles (stalks) between 3-13 cm long. (2) According to Corner referring to Kinabalu “ Around 1200m one may come across very large figs of two climbers. F. carrii has stiffly hairy, oblong figs up to 11.5cm long and F. densechini which has almost round reddish brown glaborous figs, up to 6.5cm wide with five tooth like scales set around the ostiole”
Distribution: There are seven collections of this rare Bornean endemic fig in the Leiden Herbarium, 5 from Kinabalu, one from the Kelabit Highlands at Pa Lina near Lobang Garam and one from the Kayan Mentarang hills in East Kalimantan at Mt. Batu Mayo. Recent recorded as common in hill forest near the summit trail to Gunung Besar in the Meratus mountains of South Kalimantan.
Taxonomy: F. densechini is one of three large root climbers with very large figs endemic to wet hill forest in Borneo, including F. carrii and F. grandiflora
