Ficus pumila
Encyclopedia
Ficus pumila is a woody evergreen vine
that is native to East Asia
.
This plant requires the fig wasp Blastophaga pumilae for pollination, and is fed upon by larva
e of the butterfly Marpesia petreus
.
As the common names would suggest, it has a creeping habit and is often used as a houseplant
. It is hardy and fast growing and requires little in the way of care as long as the soil is not allowed to dry out between waterings. There are several cultivars, including a variegated and crinkled leaf form.
In warmer climates it can be grown outdoors, but it can become invasive and cover landscape features if not contained. It should not be allowed to climb houses or wooden structures, as the woody tendrils
can damage buildings.
Other than its use as a decorative plant, the fruit of F. pumila var. awkeotsang is also used in cuisine. In Taiwan
, its fruit is turned inside out and dried. The seeds are scraped off and a gel is extracted from their surface with water and allowed to set and form a jelly known in Taiwan as aiyu jelly
(or aiyuzi 愛玉子) and in Singapore as ice jelly (文頭雪).
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
that is native to East Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
This plant requires the fig wasp Blastophaga pumilae for pollination, and is fed upon by larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of the butterfly Marpesia petreus
Marpesia petreus
The Ruddy Daggerwing, Marpesia petreus, is a species of butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida. Strays north to Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Texas.The wingspan is 70–95 mm.The...
.
Uses
Houseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
. It is hardy and fast growing and requires little in the way of care as long as the soil is not allowed to dry out between waterings. There are several cultivars, including a variegated and crinkled leaf form.
In warmer climates it can be grown outdoors, but it can become invasive and cover landscape features if not contained. It should not be allowed to climb houses or wooden structures, as the woody tendrils
Tendrils
Tendrils is an irregular collaboration between noted Australian guitarists, Joel Silbersher and Charlie Owen. A difficult sound to describe, Tendrils features two seemingly chaotic but strangely melodic and complementary, guitar parts and occasionally stripped back percussion.Starting out billed...
can damage buildings.
Other than its use as a decorative plant, the fruit of F. pumila var. awkeotsang is also used in cuisine. In Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, its fruit is turned inside out and dried. The seeds are scraped off and a gel is extracted from their surface with water and allowed to set and form a jelly known in Taiwan as aiyu jelly
Aiyu jelly
Aiyu jelly , known as ice jelly in Singapore , is a jelly made from the gel from the seeds of a variety of fig found in Taiwan and East Asian countries of the same climates and latitudes...
(or aiyuzi 愛玉子) and in Singapore as ice jelly (文頭雪).
Additional Images
External links
- F. pumila on Gardenology
- NC State University: Ficus pumila