About Us
News
Announcement
Research
Conservation & Horticulture
Public Education
Graduate Study
Scientist
International Cooperation
Resources
Annual Reports
Publications & Papers
Visit XTBG
Societies
XTBG Seminar
Open Positions
4th XSBN Symposium
CAS-SEABRI
PFS-Tropical Asia
Links
 
   Location:Home > Resources > Multimedia
Fig Collection
Author: Ai Chongrui
ArticleSource:
Update time: 2010-09-29
Close
Text Size: A A A
Print

Ficus is a genus of about 1,000 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae, collectively known as fig trees or figs. They distribute throughout the tropics, with a few species extending into semi-warm temperate zone. Ficus is one of the “keystone” plant species in the tropical rainforests.

There are around 100 species of Ficus in China, of which 67 species are found in Yunnan province and 48 species in Xishuangbanna. Many Ficus species exhibit spectacular phenomena, such as plank buttress, cauliflory, aerial garden, strangler figs, etc, which reflects characteristics of tropical rainforests. In Xishuangbanna, local people have gradually developed cultures of fig trees. Some fig species are deemed holy trees and Buddhist trees worshipped by almost all minorities in Xishuangbanna.

Built in 1993, Fig Garden occupies an area of 1.5ha and home to 160 fig species. Some spectacles like “tree-wrapped pagoda”, “pagoda-wrapped tree”, and “one-tree forest” can be seen in this garden.

  Appendix Download
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
Copyright XTBG 2005-2014 Powered by XTBG Information Center