PENDANT FIG Ficus pendens Corner (1960) SECTION: RHIZOCLADUS
Latin: Hanging – referring to the floppy (pendant=hanging) fruiting branches.
A root climbing liana very similar to Ficus recurva and equally hairy apart from the upperside of the leaf which is shiny and glabrous i.e. without hairs.
Leaf: The adult acrophyll leaves are illustrated. The juvenile bathyphyll leaves are as yet unknown.
Fig: The small hairy figs (0.5 -0.1 cm) ripen yellow to orange and are covered in dense hairs.
Similar species: F villosa.
Distinguish: (1) F. villosa has 6-10 side veins, F. pendens averages 5. (2) The petioles (leaf stalks) of F. villosa are normally more than 1 cm in length but with F. pendens they are normally less than 1 cm long. (3) The figs of F. pendens normally have no or a very short peduncle (stalk) whereas with F. villosa they are usually stipitate with a peduncle.(4) The figs of F. pendens are thickly hairy and only found in the leaf axils whereas with F. villosa they are usually glaborous and also occur along the branches of previous seasons growth.
Similar species: F. recurva
(1) F. recurva normally has 3 to 4 side veins. F. pendens averages 5. (2) The figs of F. pendens normally have no peduncle (stalk) whereas with F. recurva the fig stalk is normally very obvious. (3) The figs of Ficus pendens are covered with long wiry hairs whereas the figs of Ficus recurva are covered with relatively short hairs some of which may be hooked. hairs. (4) The long hairs of Ficus pendens are never hooked (uncinate).
Distribution: The online NATURALIS Herbarium has only 11 Borneo collections showing a widespread distribution in the lowlands and hills.
Range: Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Borneo.
