udumbara :

Cultivation:

Ficus species are common and form an important element of lowland rain forest, both as canopy and understorey trees. Most species prefer per-humid forest, but several are found in areas with a monsoon climate and in teak forest, including locations where the soil dries out.
Succeeds in full sun to partial shade Succeeds in most soils that are reasonably moist but well-drained
Cluster fig is resistant to fire

Fig trees have a unique form of fertilization, each species relying on a single, highly specialized species of wasp that is itself totaly dependant upon that fig species in order to breed. The trees produce three types of flower; male, a long-styled female and a short-styled female flower, often called the gall flower. All three types of flower are contained within the structure we usually think of as the fruit.

The female fig wasp enters a fig and lays its eggs on the short styled female flowers while pollinating the long styled female flowers. Wingless male fig wasps emerge first, inseminate the emerging females and then bore exit tunnels out of the fig for the winged females. Females emerge, collect pollen from the male flowers and fly off in search of figs whose female flowers are receptive. In order to support a population of its pollinator, individuals of a Ficus spp. Must flower asynchronously. A population must exceed a critical minimum size to ensure that at any time of the year at least some plants have overlap of emmission and reception of fig wasps. Without this temporal overlap the short-lived pollinator wasps will go locally extinct

Propogation:

Seed - germinates best at a temperature around 20°c.
Air layering
Tip cuttings around 4 - 12cm long, taken from lateral branches

Harvesting:

The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often cultivated, both for its fruit and also as a shade tree in plantations and an ornamental tree in parks, large gardens etc

Dr Mohamed Rifas

A dual country licensed Ayurveda Physician, currently working in Dubai as Head of Ayurveda and Yoga department. He also works as visiting doctor for Dr Hassan Ayurveda Brain and Spine Specialty Hospital. He is specialized in joint issues, brain and spine related issues and gastrointestinal issues with respect to anxiety.
Doctor profile: Click here