Common fig, banyan, breadfruit, jackfruit and mulberry,
Hi, today let's meet the Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family. This family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species of deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs or lianas (rarely herbs), distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.
The family includes well-known plants such as the common fig, banyan, breadfruit, jackfruit and mulberry,
Some distinguishing features of this family include:
🌳The presence of latex or milky sap
🌳The leaves are generally simple, alternately arranged, lobed or un-lobed depending upon the species.
🌳Production of very small/reduced, petal-less, compound, inconspicuous male and female flowers. Plants may be monoecious or dioecious.
🌳The production of compound/multiple fruits formed by joining together of fruits of closely placed different flowers.
The Moraceae are well known for their fruits. Some genera produce edible fruits, such as the mulberry (Morus), fig (Ficus carica), breadfruit and jackfruit (Artocarpus), . Others, such as Ficus, and Castilla, are important for their timber and latex. Ficus, the largest genus in the mulberry family, contains the banyan and the India rubber tree. The bark of the paper mulberry (Broussonetia) has been used for the manufacture of cloth and paper products.
Notable members of this family found in Singapore include
The Upas tree/ Ipoh Tree (Antiaris toxicaria) (Critically endangered species)
The Tampines Tree (Sloetia elongata)
Many species of Artocarpus and Ficus
White Mulberry (Morus alba)
Source:
Reference
Plants of Singapore
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