Sycamore Fig
Ficus sycomorus
Large tree growing in the vicinity of Lake Bogoria, Rift Valley, Kenya, Africa. Nov. 2011.
TREE: Mature trees with heavy, spreading branches and reaching 15 meters
in height and even broader crown. Bark takes on a yellowish hue.
FLOWERS: Small greenish flowers go mostly unnoticed and are famously
pollinated by minute wasps.
LEAVES: Large smooth-margined leaves are broadly elliptical to nearly
round and exude milky latex when damaged/broken. The tips are rounded.
RANGE: Mid and lower elevations especially on deep soils adjacent to
rivers with seasonal flooding. Native to Kenya.
FRUIT: Fruit borne in clusters on branchlets, mostly less than 20cm, attached to trunks or main branches. The figs turn orange when
ripe and soon attract many feeding birds and primates.
UNARMED. No thorns, but latex can be irritating.
Leaf and trunk base. Mtembur River, West Pokot, Kenya. July 2015.