Ficus thonningii
Ficus thonningii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Moraceae |
Genus: | Ficus |
Species: | F. thonningii
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Binomial name | |
Ficus thonningii | |
Synonyms | |
Ficus burkei |
Ficus thonningii is a species of
The species has diverse economic and environmental uses across many farming and pastoral communities in Africa.[2] In some dryland areas in Africa for example, it is a very good source of dry season livestock fodder, because it produces highly nutritious foliage[3] in large amounts[4] all year round. Parts of the plant edible for livestock include, leaves, twigs and barks, and their nutirional value varies with season[5]
Religious significance
The Ficus thonningii tree is widely regarded as a holy tree among the
Ficus thonningii is often confused with its cousin Ficus natalensis, which tends to have leaves that are wider above the middle tapering to the bottom. Ficus natalensis is mainly found in Western Kenya and the coast as opposed to Ficus thonningii, which is common in the Mount Kenya region.
So revered is the Mugumo tree in the Mount Kenya region that, in 2020, the President of Kenya issued a decree protecting a Ficus thonningii from being uprooted during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway. The particular tree was nicknamed the Waiyaki Way fig tree.
References
- ^ "Ficus thonningii (F. dekdekana)" (PDF). Apps.worldagroforestry.org. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
- S2CID 85290828.
- S2CID 14401979.
- S2CID 84686088.
- ^ "Effect of maturity on chemical composition of edible parts of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae): an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in Ethiopia". Lrrd.org. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
External links
Media related to Ficus thonningii at Wikimedia Commons