Ficus socrotana is a one of the worlds rarest figs endemic to the island of Socotra -politically part of Yemen.
Socotra is a largely uninhabited desert island approx. 130 km x 30 km wide with small patches of dry forest in the rocky mountains on the north east coast.
The closest relatives are Ficus vasta of Ethiopia and Ficus sycomorus a common savannah fig throughout East Africa.
Nothing is known about the ecology, but thin flaky bark on fig trees often indicates a mutualistic relationship with ants which feed on the bark and defend the fig tree against leaf eating insects.
Other figs in the Princess of Wales Conservatory include a Ficus villosa sourced from Sabah which fruits prolifically, a Ficus hispida which also fruits almost continuously and a Ficus maclellandii mislabelled as Ficus binnendijkii.
