Ficus hispida

Hairy fig or Peyatti

• Also called Hairy fig, Devil fig, Opposite-leaved fig
• Tamil Peyatti / Pei athi (பேயத்தி)
• Malayalam Kattathi (കാട്ടത്തി)
• Telugu Bomma medi (బొమ్మమేడి)
• Marathi Kala umbar (काळा उंबर)
• Sanskrit Kakodumbarika (काकोदुम्बरिका)

Fast-growing shrub or small tree

What it is

Ficus hispida is a coarsely hairy fig, usually a shrub or small tree, that grows quickly along streams, canals and damp ground. Unlike most figs, its large, rough leaves grow in opposite pairs. Its figs grow in clusters straight from the trunk and on long, leafless shoots, ripening yellow or reddish. It is found across tropical Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to southern China and northern Australia.

What it's used for

• The leaves are used as fodder for cattle.
• Its figs feed birds and fruit bats, and the ripe figs are sometimes made into jam.
• Large cuttings root easily and are used to make live fences.

Where we plant it

Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Ficus hispida is one of the species planted there.

Read more about Ficus hispida on en.wikipedia.org