About Ficus palmata Forssk.
Ficus palmata Forssk. grows as either a shrub or a tree, reaching up to 10 metres (30 feet) in height. When mature, its fruits turn purplish and grow up to 2 cm (1 inch) long. The flowers of this species are greenish white. Two subspecies of Ficus palmata have different native ranges: the typical subspecies is native to north-eastern Africa, ranging from Egypt south to Somalia, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and Syria; subspecies virgata is native to Asia, ranging from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran east to India and the Himalayas. This species grows in desert or dry shrubland habitat, including areas near villages in the Himalayas, at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 metres (3,000 to 5,000 feet). In the Himalayan region, the fruit of Ficus palmata is widely sold and consumed. The entire fruit, including its seeds, is edible. In folk medicine, the fruits are used to treat inflammation and illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria, and are also used as an analgesic, as reported by Shi et al. in 2014.
