New Insights on the Morphology of the Philippine Endemic Ficus pseudopalma Blanco

Abstract

Ficus pseudopalma Blanco is an endemic Philippine plant with many medicinal uses and an ethnobotanically as a green vegetable or side dish. With these several economic uses of the plant, there is a need to investigate the morpho-anatomy and development of the species. Seeds of F. pseudopalma were collected in Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary and grown in the Central Mindanao University Garden to monitor the growth and development of the species. Unique morpho-anatomical features include sparingly branched glabrous stem with spirally-arranged reddish terminal leaves crowded at the apical part, paired persistent stipules, anomocytic stomata, without glandular hairs and with leptocentric bundles in the petiole. The inflorescence is likewise unique, being enclosed to form a syconium (fig) which occurs in pairs and axillary. The flowers are imperfect with the staminate flowers situated the osteole while the pistillate flowers are at the syconia's interior and pollinated by agaonid wasps. The seeds germinated after four days of sowing, and syconia were formed after 365 days exhibiting several stages of development. These morphological and developmental characteristics are important in mass propagating this endemic plant for its medicinal and food uses.