White Fig

Location in BHU campus : Planted along road side and near Vishwanath temple.

Botanical name : Ficus virens Aiton Syn F.infectoria Roxb.F. lacor F.-Ham

Family : Moraceae

Vernacular / local Name : Bengali-Pakar, pakur; Gujarati-Pepri; Hindi-Pakar, kahimal, kaim, keol, pilkhan; Kannada-Basari, juvvi. kari-basari; Malayalam-Bakri, chakkila, chela; Marathi-Bassari, dhedumbara. gandhaumbara; Sanskrit-Plaksa; Tamil-Jovi, kallal, kurugatti,suvi; Telugu-Badijuvvi, jati.

English / Trade names : Grey/java/spotted/white fig

A large tree with spreading crown and aerial roots.Leaves 8-13 cm long,ovate or ovate oblong.Young leaves red,stipules ovate.Male,female and gall flowers borne in the same receptacle.Male flowers only a few near the mouth of the receptacle. Fruit a fig; in axillary pairs, sessile, subglobose, about 1 cm in diameter,white flushed with pink and dotted when ripe.

Flowering and Fruiting:December –June

• Sacred value

The tree is considered sacred as per Vayu Purana .

• Uses

The tree serves as host for summer brood of Indian lac insect.Fruits are edible.Bark yields fibre .Leaves are used as fodder and particularly liked by elephants.It is an excellent avenue tree as it grows fast and provides ample shade. It serves as a windbreak because of its large canopy.The decoction made from bark is used for gargling and washing ulcers.The wood is used for making charcoal in NW India.