Ficus conglobata, King, 1888

Liao, Shuai, Miao, Bai-Ge, Gao, Jin-Xia, Gao, Jie, Yang, Da-Rong, Xiong, Yong-Mei, Sensarma, Sreyoshee, Peng, Yan-Qiong & Zhang, Zhen, 2025, The phylogenomic position and barcoding resources of Ficus conglobata with additional notes to its distribution ranges, Phytotaxa 687 (2), pp. 267-277 : 268-270

Morphology of Ficus conglobata

Ficus conglobata King (1888: 99 , t. 123); Hooker (1888: 522); Prain (1903: 982); Corner (1965: 89); Bennet (1985: 319); Buragohain et al. (2012: 416); Chaudhary et al. (2012: 205); Sudhakar et al. (2022: 339). Lectotype (designated here): — INDIA. Sikkim, east Himalaya, 1877, G. King 8732 (CAL0000014309[image!], Fig. 1 ; isolectotypes CAL0000014304[image!], CAL0000014305[image!], CAL0000014308[image!], K000880231[image!], L0931312[image!], MH, P00389793 [image!]). Syntypes:— BHUTAN. 1837–1839, W. Griffith 4639 (CAL0000014302[image!], K000880232[image!], K000880233[image!], P00389794[image!]) ;— BANGLADESH. Chittagong, 1876, J. L. Lister s.n. (CAL0000014372[image!], CAL0000014373[image!], CAL0000014374[image!]). ( Fig. 2 A–E )

Description: —Tree, up to 15 m tall, extensively branched, dioecious; branchlets pubescent when young, hispid to hirtellous, brownish strigose at maturity, hollow; latex yellowish. Leaves opposite or subopposite, sometimes alternate, elliptic, oblong or subobovate, 23–34 × 13–20 cm, base cuneate to subcordate, margin serrate to dentate, apex acuminate with acumen up to 1.5 cm long, chartaceous, hispid; basal veins 3–5; lateral veins 4–6 pairs; waxy glands at axils of basal lateral veins; petioles 4–8 cm long, densely pubescent. Stipules 2–4 axillary, ovate-acute or ovate-lanceolate, strigose or hirtellous above, glabrous beneath, caducous. Figs numerous, in fascicles from short much-divided branches, densely crowded with reddish or dark brown appearance with white patches, ramiflorous to cauliflorous; peduncles 3–6 cm long, spotted; basal bracts 3, free, 2–3.5 mm long, glabrous, persistent; receptacle (fig body) pyriform or subglobose, 1–1.3 cm in diam., red to dark brown, black-spotted at maturity, subglabrous or brownish strigose; external lateral bracts few; ostiole concave, opened; internal hairs absent. Staminate flowers separate near the ostiole, sessile, 1.5–2 mm long; tepals 3 or 5, free, linear-lanceolate or spathulate; stamens 2–3, occasionally 1; anther broadly ovate; filaments very short to sessile. Gall flowers shortly pedicellate, 1–1.5 mm long; tepals united, white; ovary obovoid, white, smooth; style lateral, very short, glabrous; stigma slightly dilated or infundibuliform. Pistillate flowers separate in receptacles, funnel-shaped, sessile or shortly pedicellate, 1–1.5 mm long; tepals united, white; ovary obovoid or ovoid, 0.8–1 mm in diam., white, smooth; style lateral, white; stigma simple, infundibuliform. Achenes obovoid, 1.5–2 mm in diam., surface rough with rhomboidal structures or smooth.

Additional notes to distribution records in the study: — CHINA. Xizang Autonomous Region, Motuo County. MYANMAR: Kachin State, Putao District.

Distribution worldwide: — INDIA: northeast. BHUTAN. BANGLADESH.

Note: — Ficus conglobata morphologically resembles F. hispida Linnaeus f. (1781: 442) , especially in terms of the shape, texture, margin, and indumentum of leaves, which misled the mistaken identification of its specimens as the latter. However, F. conglobata is distinguishable from F. hispida by short, fascicular, and numerous figs ( Fig. 2 D–E ). F. heterostyla Merrill (1942: 158) bears rather long stoloniflory ( Fig. 2 J ) and is easily distinguishable among it, F. conglobata , and F. hispida ( Fig. 2 F and H ). A detailed quantitative comparison between F. conglobata and its morphological allies is shown in Table 2.

Considering the mass type materials of F. conglobata are under diverse preservation conditions, we chose the typical and whole one from the initially stored herbarium (CAL) as the lectotype ( Fig. 1 ).

Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. Xizang Autonomous Region, Linzhi City , Motuo County: Nigulong , 900 m, 30 January 1983, B. S. Li et S. Z. Cheng 03545 (PE00776836, PE 00776837, PE 00776838, PE 00776839) ; Beibeng , 29°10'19.294"N, 94°58'59.88"E, 572 m, 15 May 2023, D. R. Yang et al. MT238 (HITBC) ; Dexing, 29°18'6.15"N, 95°17'2.00"E, 772 m, 28 August 2014, H. Q. Li et al. 2014546 (HSNU), 29°19'07.205"N, 95°18'15.59"E, 845 m, 12 May 2023, D. R. Yang et al. MT130 (HITBC) ; Kabu , 29°28'28.203"N, 95°26'36.66"E, 889 m, 12 May 2023, D. R. Yang et al. MT101 (HITBC) ; Miri , 29°24'48.759"N, 95°23'55.34"E, 804 m, 12 May 2023, D. R. Yang et al. MT114 (HITBC) . MYANMAR: Kachin State, Putao District, Naung Mung, Gathtu to Tongwang Cave , 27°29'55.2444"N, 97°58'29.0778"E, 640 m, 4 June 2018, Myanmar Expedition, Y. H. Tan et al. M4027 (HITBC) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Ficus conglobata (G. King 8732, CAL0000014309).

FIGURE 2. Illustrations of Ficus conglobata and its allies. A, Crown. B, Leafy branches. C, Leaves. D, Cauliflorous fruits. E, Syconia. F–H, Stoloniflorous figs, leaves, and syconia of F. hispida. I–J, Leaves and syconium of F. heterostyla.