Ficus carica
Edible fig
Moraceae
Forest Starr, Kim Starr, and Lloyd Loope
United States Geological Survey--Biological Resources Division
Haleakala Field Station, Maui, Hawai'i
January, 2003
OVERVIEW
There are no Ficus species native to Hawai'i. F. carica is one of about 60 species ofFicus that is cultivated in Hawai'i (Wagner et al. 1999). Each Ficus species needs aspecific pollinating wasp in order to reproduce and spread (Ramirez 1970). The
pollinator wasp for F. carica, Blastophaga psenses (L.), was introduced to Hawai'i in1909 (Wagner et al. 1999). Due to several factors at that time, such as a limited numberof host trees, dioeciousness, and lengthy overseas transport of the wasp by boat, theassociated pollinator wasp did not successfully establish. Currently, there are no recordsof collections of B. psenses from the state of Hawai'i (Nishida 1997). As a result, F.
carica is not reproducing sexually in Hawai'i today. Some of these factors have sincechanged and if the wasp were introduced today it would likely establish which would
facilitate the naturalization of F. carica. Other Ficus species that have had their wasps
introduced are spreading on Maui. These include F. microcarpa, F. macrophylla, and F.
cf. platypoda (Wagner et al. 1999, Oppenheimer and Bartlett 2000). These three species
are currently invading both disturbed and native ecosystems where they are capable ofgerminating in native host trees, such as koa (Acacia koa) and ohia (Metrosiderospolymorpha), growing as epiphytes, and eventually destroying their hosts. F. carica iswidely cultivated worldwide and in Hawai'i for its edible fruits. It is currently reported asa weed in Australia and California (Randall 1998, CalEPPC 1999). The pollinator waspfor F. carica should be prohibited from introduction to Hawai'i to minimize the chancefor this species to spread by placing it on the injurious species list.
TAXONOMYFamily: Moraceae (Mulberry family) (Wagner et al. 1999).
Latin name: Ficus carica L. (Bailey and Bailey 1976).
Synonyms: None.
Common names: Common fig, edible fig, fig tree (Bailey and Bailey 1976, Neal 1965).
Taxonomic notes: The genus Ficus is made up of about 1,000 species from pantropicaland subtropical origins (Wagner et al. 1999). Plants in the genus are all woody, ranging
from trees and shrubs to climbers (Neal 1965).
Nomenclature: The latin name, carica, is named for the location Caria in Asia Minor
which is supposedly the home of the fig (Neal 1965, Dehgan 1998).
Related species in Hawai'i: Several varieties of F. carica are grown in Hawai'i,
including the Smyrna fig, the brown or Turkey fig, and the white and golden fig (Neal1965). About 60 species of Ficus have been introduced to Hawai'i for cultivation andreforestation (Wagner et al. 1999).

DESCRIPTION"Shrubs or small trees, deciduous, to 5 m. Roots not adventitious. Bark grayish, slightlyroughened. Branchlets pubescent. Leaves: stipules 1-1.2 cm; petiole 8-20 cm. Leaf
blade obovate, nearly orbiculate, or ovate, palmately 3-5-lobed, 15-30 x 15-30 cm, basecordate, margins undulate or irregularly dentate, apex acute to obtuse; surfaces abaxiallyand adaxially scabrous-pubescent; basal veins 5 pairs; lateral veins irregularly spaced.
Syconia solitary, sessile, green, yellow, or red-purple, pyriform, 5-8 cm, pubescent;peduncle ca. 1 cm; subtending bracts ovate, 1-2 mm; ostiole with 3 subtending bracts,umbonate" (Flora of North America 2000).
BIOLOGY & ECOLOGY
Cultivation: F. carica has been cultivated for a long time in various places worldwide
for its edible fruit. Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites dating as far
back as at least 5,000 B.C. (California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1996). F. carica ispresumed to originate from Western Asia and spread to the Mediterranean by humans(California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1996). It is an important world crop today. Major
producers of edible figs include Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Greece, California,Italy, Brazil and other places with typically mild winters and hot dry summers (Tous andFerguson 1996). Fruits can be eaten raw, dried, canned, or in other preserved forms(Neal 1965).
Invasiveness: Though F. carica is not invasive in Hawai'i today due to the unsuccessful
introduction of its associated pollinator wasp (Blastophaga psenses) in 1909 (Wagner etal. 1999), it is considered invasive in Australia and California (Randall 1998, CalEPPC1999). F. carica is currently widely planted on Maui. There are very likely enough trees
to support a population of wasps. Should the associated wasp be reintroduced today inHawai'i, there would be the potential for F. carica to begin to spread on its own. Ficus
species that are known to naturalize in Hawai'i include F. microcarpa, F. macrophylla,and F. cf. platypoda (Wagner et al. 1999, Oppenheimer and Bartlett 2000). These
species commonly germinate in other trees, fenceposts, rocks, bridges, buildings, andother structures, eventually engulfing their hosts. Ficus species threaten many naturalareas on Maui, including both wet and dry habitat, by germinating on many native hosttrees such as koa (Acacia koa), ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha), wiliwili (Erythrina
sandwicensis), and others, and eventually killing them as they grow. Invasive
characteristics include a widespread distribution due to popularity among the public whouse the plant in landscaping, large seed set, the presence of non-native fruit eating birds
that spread the seeds, and difficulty in controlling epiphytic plants on native hosts andsheer cliffs. Should F. carica begin to spread on Maui, invasive characteristics would
probably be similar to those of other invasive Ficus species listed above.
Pollination: The fruit (syconium or fig) and reproduction systems of species in thegenus Ficus are unique. Each species of Ficus has an associated species of agaonid wasp
(Hymenoptera: Chalcoidea: Agaonidae). Ficus species can only be pollinated by theirassociated agaonid wasps and in turn, the wasps can only lay eggs within their associatedFicus fruit. For successful pollination and reproduction of Ficus species to occur, its

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associated pollinator wasp must be present. Conversely, for successful reproduction ofagaonid wasps to occur, their associated Ficus species must be present (Janzen 1979).
The pollinator wasp for F. carica is Blastophaga psenses (L.) (Wagner et al. 1999).
Propagation: F. carica are usually propagated from cuttings (California Rare Fruit
Growers, Inc. 1996).
Dispersal: Plants are initially spread by humans who grow the plant for ornament, edible
fruit, and reforestation. Because the pollinator wasp is not yet present in Hawai'i, F.
carica seeds are not viable. Other species of Ficus that do have wasps present andtherefore viable seeds are spread by fruit eating birds and often germinate on fence posts,trees, and other frequent perches.
Pests and diseases: California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (1996) report the following
pests and diseases for F. carica. "Fig tree roots are a favorite food of gophers, who caneasily kill a large plant. Birds can cause a lot of damage to the fruit. Nematodes,
particularly in sandy soils, attack roots, forming galls and stunting the trees. Dried fruit
beetles can enter ripening fruit through the eye and cause damage by introducing fungiand rots. Euryphid mites are carriers of mosaic virus from infected to clean trees. Otherpests include fig canker, Rhyzopus smut, and Aspergillus rot."
DISTRIBUTION
Native range: F. carica is thought to be native to Western Asia (California Rare Fruit
Growers, Inc. 1996).
Global distribution: F. carica is cultivated for its fruits in warm and temperate parts ofEurope, the Mediterranean countries, and the United States of America. According toDehgan (1998), F. carica prefers full sun and various well-drained soils. It is slightly salt
tolerant, though is not adapted to wet sites or compacted soils, and it is moderately
drought tolerant. In most Mediterranean countries today it grows wild (Grieve 2002). In
the United States, F. carica is considered an invasive pest plant species by the California
Exotic Pest Plant Council (1999). They place this species on the "A-2" list which arepest species that are considered the most invasive wildland pest plants that are regionally
distributed (3 or fewer Jepson regions). Habitat of concern includes the following areas:
Central Valley, foothill, South Coast, and Channel Is. riparian woodlands. At theCosumnes River Preserve in Central California, F. carica is one of the woody invadersthat threatens to transform the forest community from a native floodplain forest into awoodland dominated by non-native trees which would provide little food for nativeinsects or for many native birds and mammals (Meyers-Rice 2001). The river habitat
stretches from sea level to 7,500 ft (2,300 m) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. F. carica
is also reported to escape cultivation in Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and West
Virginia (Flora of North America 2000). In Australia, Randall (1998) reports that F.
carica has spread to river banks and creek lines around Perth, and also persists at old
settlement sites throughout the south-west.

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State of Hawai'i distribution: F. carica is cultivated in Hawai'i (Wagner et al. 1999,Neal 1965). The state wide distribution is not certain.
Island of Maui distribution: F. carica is widely cultivated on Maui in urban and rural
areas from warm lowlands such as Lahaina and Kihei to upper dry elevations of Kula andKeokea. Most specimens are small trees that are grown singly or in groves. F. carica
was not observed in wet areas such as Hana and probably does not grow well there.
CONTROL METHODS
Physical control: The control of F. carica in the Cosumnes River Preserve in Central
California was reported as successful by Meyers-Rice (2001). Though exactly how they
did it was not reported, they did mention chainsaws, herbicide, and "hundreds of hours ofmonitoring and difficult control work...have eliminated all known invading fig trees."
It is uncertain if small seedlings on the ground or as epiphytes can be hand pulled.
Control of Ficus species seems daunting. Often, trees will germinate on and grow as
epiphytes on other desirable trees, concrete structures, and fenceposts. These aresometimes out of reach or on steep dangerous terrain. Care will need to be taken in orderto successfully kill the unwanted Ficus while preserving the host. Without control, thehost tree or structure is in danger of destruction through strangulation. Control ofspreading Ficus trees in Hawai'i is just beginning to be explored.
Chemical control: "Fig trees are particularly sensitive to triclopyr herbicides as a basal
or cut-stump treatment. Trees found growing on concrete or rock structures should betreated with herbicide while young to avoid costly structural damage. Use extreme
caution when applying herbicide to figs growing as epiphytes to ensure that the poison
does not contact the host tree. When exotic figs germinate high in the branches of large
trees in natural forest communities, it may be extraordinarily difficult to get close enoughto the fig to treat it." (Hammer 1996).
Biological control: Nadel et al. (1991) report that there is no current effort to control
Ficus species with biological controls.
Cultural control: The pollinator wasps should be prevented from entering Hawai'i inorder to prevent spread of F. carica.
Noxious weed acts: None.
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
F. carica is currently not spreading in Hawai'i because previous attempts in 1909 tointroduce the pollinator wasp failed probably due to small population size of host trees
and poor transportation methods. Today, there are many trees present on Maui and theimportation of insects is no longer as difficult. The conditions would be ripe to support apopulation of wasps should they be introduced. F. carica is invasive elsewhere in
California and Australia in mild, warm, temperate climates along river corridors. For
now, F. carica is not spreading in Hawai'i and the best way to keep it that way is to4

prevent the arrival of its associated pollinator wasp by placing them on the injurious
species list.
REFERENCES
Bailey, L. H. and E. Z. Bailey. 1976. Hortus Third. Macmillan General Reference, NY.
California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1996. Fig Fruit Facts. The Fullerton Arboretum,CSUF, Fullerton, CA. Available: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html (Accessed:February 11, 2002).
Dehgan, B. 1998. Landscape Plants for Subtropical Climates. University Press ofFlorida, Gainesville, FL.
Flora of North America. 2000. Flora of North America Association, FNA Volume 3.
Available: http://www.fna.org/FNA (Accessed: February 11, 2002).
Grieve, M. 2002. Common Fig. Botanical.com. A Modern Herbal Home Page.
Electric Newt. Available: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/figcom12.html(Accessed: February 11, 2002).
Hammer, R.L. In: Randall, J.M. and J. Marinelli, ed. 1996. Invasive Plants: Weeds ofthe Global Garden. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Handbook 149:33-34.
Janzen, D.H. 1979. How to be a fig. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 10:13-51.
Meyers-Rice, B. 2001. A Success Story, Cosumnes River Preserve, Central California.
The Nature Conservancy Wildland Invasive Species Program, California. Available:
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs.html (Accessed: February 11, 2002).
Nadel, H., J.H. Frank, and R.J. Knight. 1992. Escapees and accomplices: The
naturalization of exotic Ficus and their associated faunas in Florida. Florida
Entomologist 75(1):29-38.
Neal, M.C. 1965. In Gardens of Hawai'i. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Special
Publication 40, Honolulu, HI.
Nishida, G.M. 1997. Hawai'i Terrestrial Arthropod Checklist. Bishop Museum Press,
Honolulu, HI.
Oppenheimer, H.L. and R.T. Bartlett. 2000. New plant records from Maui, O'ahu, andHawai'i Islands. Bishop Mus. Occas. Pap. 64(1):1-10.
Ramirez, B.W. 1970. Host specificity of fig wasps (Agaonidae). Evol. 24: 680-691.
Tous, J. and L. Ferguson. 1996. Mediterranean fruits. p.416-430. In: J. Janick (ed.),
Progress in New Crops. ASHS Press, Arlington, VA.

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Wagner, W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants ofHawai'i. 2 vols. Bishop Museum Special Publication 83, University of Hawai'i and
Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, HI.

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