Ficus sarmentosa, J. E. Smith, 1810

Zhang, Zhen, Averyanov, Leonid V., Nguyen, Khang Sinh, Bui, Van Thanh & Liao, Shuai, 2025, Ficus flavifolia (Moraceae), a new climbing fig tree from central Laos, Phytotaxa 701 (1), pp. 105-114 : 111-112

Key to the taxa of Ficus sarmentosa complex

1. Acrophylls apex round; syconia more than 4 cm in diameter ............................................................................................. F. pumila

- Acrophylls apex often caudiform to acute (round in F. muricata ); syconia less than 3 cm in diameter .......................................... 2

2. Leaf brown when dry; acrophylls abaxially seldom foveolate; syconia more or less tuberculate ................................................... 3

- Leaf dark green when dry; acrophylls abaxially foveolate or not (in some varieties of F. sarmentosa ); syconia not tuberculate ..... ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Acrophylls less than 7 cm in length; peduncle 2–12 mm long; syconia 6–8 mm in diameter .................................... F. dinganensis

- Acrophylls longer than 7 cm; peduncle less than 2 mm; syconia 1–2 cm in diameter .................................................................... 5

4. Acrophylls longer than 25 cm; syconia and leaf covered by dense brown pubescence ................................................... F. anserina

- Acrophylls less than 20 cm long; syconia and leaf sparsely pubescen to glabrous ............................................................................ ....................................................... F. sarmentosa and its allies ( F. guangxiensis , F. guizhouensis , F. napoensis , and F. polynervis )

5. Acrophylls 13–26 cm long, apex round, abaxial surface glabrous .................................................................................. F. muricata

- Acrophylls 7–18 cm long, apex acuminate to caudate, abaxial surface sparsely to densely tomentose .......................................... 6

6. Acrophylls 5–8 cm wide, basal vein spreads up to 1/3 to 1/2 of lamina length; syconia 1.5–2 cm in diameter ............. F. pubigera

- Acrophylls 3–5 cm wide, basal vein spreads up to 1/5 to 1/3 of lamina length; syconia usually less than 1.5 mm in diameter ..... 7

7. Leaf lamina, petiole, branchlets, and syconia hairy to subglabrous; petiole and peduncle 2–4 mm in diameter; syconia globular, smooth ................................................................................................................................................................................... F. howii

- Leaf lamina, petiole, branchlets, and syconia densely hairy; petiole and peduncle thick, more than 5 mm in diameter; syconia ovoid or ellipsoid, with longitudinal ridges at the lower part .................................................................................................... F. flavifolia