Ficus erecta

Flower name
Ficus erecta
Scientific name
Ficus erecta
Alias犬枇杷, イタビ
Place of origin Japan and Jeju Island (Korea)
Place of floweringGarden, Park
Flowering seasonApril, May
Language of flowersEternal happiness

What is Ficus erecta

Ficus erecta (scientific name: Ficus erecta or Ficus erecta var. erecta) is a deciduous broad-leaved shrub in the family Moraceae, native to Japan and Jeju Island (Korea). It is also known as "itabi" (Japanese name: itabi). In Japan, it grows naturally in the mountains from the Kanto region southward to Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Peninsula. The tree is 3 to 5 m tall. Since it belongs to the fig genus, it produces a milky white sap when its bark is scratched. The leaves are thin, petiolate, green, and elliptic. The leaves are 8 to 20 cm long and 4 to 8 cm wide, with full leaf margins and attached to the branches in alternate clusters. It is dioecious, flowering from April to May. Flowers are produced in the leaf axils, but do not appear externally in the form of flower sacs, which are enclosed inflorescences. The floral sac is about 1 cm in diameter, and the floral sac turns into a fruit sac from September to November. The fruit (perianth) is spherical, 1 to 1.3 cm in diameter. The fruits ripen from red to dark purple and are edible. They taste sweet. The tree is used as a park and garden tree, the fruit is edible and medicinal, and the white sap is used for medicinal purposes.

Common name: Ficus erecta, scientific name: Ficus erecta or Ficus erecta var. erect, also known as itabi, origin: Japan, Jeju Island (Korea), habitat: lowland forests from Kanto south to Shikoku, Kyushu and Ryukyu Peninsula, Life form: deciduous broad-leaved shrub, Height: 3-5 m, Bark: white sap when damaged, Petiole: present, petiole length: 2-5 cm, Leaf color: green, Leaf shape: ovate-elliptic, monoecious (undivided), Leaf length: 8-20 cm, Leaf width: 4-8 cm, Leaf texture: thin, Leaf margin: entire, Orifice: alternate, dioecious, Flowering site: leaf axils, Flowering period April-May; inflorescence shape: cryptic inflorescence; floral sac diameter: 0.8-1 cm; fruiting season: September-November; fruit type: fruit sac; fruit diameter (fruit sac diameter): 1-1.3 cm; fruit shape: spherical; fruit color: red to dark purple; fruit edible or not: edible; fruit sac flavor: sweet; uses: tree for park and garden trees; fruit for food and medicine; white sap for medicinal purposes.