Ficus maxima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ficus maxima |
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Ficus bopiana Rusby |
The Ficus maxima is a type of fig tree. It grows naturally in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, reaching as far south as Paraguay. Fig trees belong to the plant family called Moraceae.
This tree can grow very tall, sometimes reaching up to 30 meters (about 100 feet). Like all fig trees, Ficus maxima has a special partnership with tiny fig wasps. The F. maxima tree can only be pollinated by the fig wasp called Tetrapus americanus. In return, this wasp can only lay its eggs and grow inside the flowers of the F. maxima tree. The fruits and leaves of F. maxima are an important food source for many different birds and mammals. People also use parts of this tree in herbal medicines in the areas where it grows.
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About the Ficus maxima Tree
Ficus maxima trees usually grow between 5 and 30 meters (16 to 100 feet) tall. Their leaves can be long and narrow or more oval-shaped. They are typically 6 to 24 centimeters (2 to 9 inches) long and 2.5 to 12 centimeters (1 to 5 inches) wide.
The figs (fruits) of this tree grow one by one. Each fig is usually 1 to 2.5 centimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) across.
Naming the Ficus maxima
The Ficus group of plants is one of the largest in the world, with about 750 different species. Ficus maxima is part of a smaller group within Ficus called subgenus Pharmacosycea.
The name Ficus maxima was first used by a Scottish botanist named Philip Miller in 1768. However, there was some confusion because Miller's description actually matched a different fig tree, Ficus aurea. To make sure everyone knew which tree was which, another botanist, Cornelis Berg, suggested that the name Ficus maxima should be officially kept for the tree we know today. This idea was accepted in 2005.
Over time, this tree has been given many different scientific names by various botanists. But now, Ficus maxima is the official name.
Common Names for Ficus maxima
Because Ficus maxima grows in many countries where different languages are spoken, it has many common names. Here are some of them:
| Common names of Ficus maxima | |
| Common name | Where it's used |
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| Amäk wäm | By the Lacandon Maya in Chiapas, Mexico |
| Amate | Mexico |
| Caxinguba | Brazil |
| Hicatee Fig | Belize |
| Higillo | Honduras |
| Higueron | Ecuador |
| Maja | By the Tacana people of Bolivia |
| Matapal | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Sàhàshá | By the Paya of Honduras |
| White fig | Jamaica |
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Fig trees and fig wasps have a very special partnership. Fig trees can only be pollinated by fig wasps, and fig wasps can only lay their eggs and grow inside fig flowers. Usually, each type of fig tree relies on just one type of fig wasp for pollination. For Ficus maxima, its partner is the Tetrapus americanus wasp.
Fig flowers are unique because they grow inside a closed structure called a syconium. This is what we usually call the "fig" fruit. The only opening to the outside is a tiny hole called an ostiole. Ficus maxima has both male and female flowers inside the syconium.
The female flowers ripen first. When they are ready, they release a special smell that attracts female Tetrapus americanus wasps. These wasps are about 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) long.
A female fig wasp, carrying pollen from the fig tree where she was born, squeezes through the ostiole into the syconium. Inside, there are hundreds of female flowers. The wasp lays her eggs in some of these flowers. Other flowers are pollinated by the wasp, and these will grow into seeds. The eggs hatch, and the wasp larvae grow inside the flowers.
Male wasps hatch and grow up before the females. They mate with the females while the females are still inside their little "gall" homes. The male wasps then chew exit holes in the fig, allowing the females to leave. As the female wasps emerge, the male flowers inside the fig ripen and release their pollen. The new female wasps pick up this pollen.
The newly emerged female wasps then fly out through the holes made by the males. They go off to find a new syconium (fig) to lay their own eggs in. After the wasps leave, the figs ripen fully. Ripe figs are eaten by many mammals and birds, which helps spread the fig seeds to new places.
Where Ficus maxima Grows
Ficus maxima is found across a wide area. It grows from Paraguay and Bolivia in South America all the way north to Mexico. In Mexico, it is common in the southern and central parts of the country.
You can find this tree in different types of forests, including tropical forests and even near water. It grows throughout Central America, in countries like Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. It is also present in the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. In South America, it grows in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and several states in Brazil.
Ficus maxima in Nature
Fig trees are sometimes called "keystone species" because they can be very important food sources for animals that eat fruit. This is especially true when other fruits are hard to find. For example, in a national park in Colombia, Ficus maxima was an important fruit producer during times when other fruits were scarce.
The fruits of Ficus maxima are eaten by many birds and mammals. When these animals eat the figs and then move to other areas, they help spread the seeds. This is called seed dispersal. Studies have shown that F. maxima fruits have a good amount of protein and not too much sugar, which makes them a good food source for animals like bats.
Animals like black howler monkeys and Mexican howler monkeys eat the fruits and leaves of F. maxima. Venezuelan red howlers have also been seen eating F. maxima fruit.
Besides the fig wasps that pollinate them, other types of wasps also use fig trees. Their young grow inside the figs. These wasps, both pollinating and non-pollinating, can also be hosts for even tinier parasitoid wasps. Scientists have found many other insects living on F. maxima trees, including beetles, ants, and different types of larvae. One study in Panama found 78 different types of plant-eating insects on a single F. maxima tree!
Uses of Ficus maxima
People have found many uses for Ficus maxima over the years.
- The Lacandon Maya in Mexico use the leaves to treat snakebite. They chew the leaves to make them moist and then put them on the bite.
- In Ecuador, people use a tea made from the leaves to help with internal swelling.
- The Paya of Honduras use the tree for firewood and to treat gingivitis (gum inflammation).
- The Tacana people of Bolivia use the milky sap (latex) from the tree to treat intestinal parasites. People in Guatemala also use it for this purpose.
- In Brazil, the tree is used in traditional medicine to treat worms, joint pain, anemia (low iron), and fever.
- The latex is also used to mix with limestone soils to create a type of cement.
Scientists have studied Ficus maxima leaves and found special compounds called methoxyflavones. Other research has shown that extracts from Ficus maxima can help fight against harmful microbes.
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See also
In Spanish: Ficus maxima para niños
