FIC 



OR, BOTAN 7 ICAL DICTIONARY. 



FIC 



567 



2. Ficus Sycomorus ; Egyptian Fig-Tree, or Sycamore. 

 Leaves cordate, roundish, quite entire, tomentose underneath ; 

 fruits sessile. This is also called Pharaoh's Fig-Tree: the stem 

 is often fifty feet thick, and spreads out its boughs very much, 

 so that it is of great use in a scorching climate, to shade those 

 who travel through the deserts ; leaves like those of the Mul- 

 berry ; the fruit is produced from the trunk and larger branches, 

 and is shaped like the common fig; it is pierced by an insect 

 called cynips sycomori, a little before it ripens, in two different 

 ways ; either the scales which cover the calix wither, and are 

 befit back, as in the common fig, for the admission of the in- 

 sect; or, which is more common in this species, a little below 

 the scales on the side of the involucre the fruit is affected with 

 a gangrene, which extends itself, and frequently occupies the 

 splice of a finger's breadth ; it withers, -the place affected be- 

 comes black, the fleshy substance in the middle is corroded 

 for the breadth of a quill, and the male blossoms which are 

 nearest appear naked, opening a way for the insect, which 

 makes several furrows in the middle of the fruit, but never 

 touches the stigmas, though it frequently eats the germina. 

 The gangrenous part is at first covered with the blossoms, 

 but the hole is by degrees enlarged, of various sizes, in dif- 

 ferent fruits, the margin and sides being always gangrenous, 

 black, hard, and turned inwards ; the fruit tastes pretty well ; 



.when quite ripe it is soft, watery, and somewhat sweet, with 

 a very little portion of an aromatic flavour ; though fleshy 



.enough, yet little of it is good, the insech; having eaten much 

 of it. We call this the Sycamore-tree, and Mulberry Fig-tree : 

 this, and not the Great Maple, is the true Sycamore. Native 

 of Egypt, the Levant, and Cochin-china. This, and all the 

 rest of this genus, except the first species, are easily propa- 

 gated by cuttings during the summer season. When the 

 cuttings are taken from the plants, they should be laid in a 

 dry shady place for two or three days, that the wounds may 

 be healed over, otherwise they are apt to rot; for all these 

 plants abound with a milky juice, which flows out whenever 

 they are wounded ; for which reason the cuttings should have 

 their wounded .part healed over and hardened before they 

 are planted; after which they should be planted in pots 

 filJed with sandy light earth, and plunged into a moderate 

 hot-bed, where they should be shaded from the sun, and in 

 warm seasons should be gently watered two or three times a 

 week, but must not have too large a share -of moisture, for 

 that would infallibly destroy them. When the cuttings have 

 taken root sufficient to transplant, they should be each 

 planted in a separate small pot, filled with light undunged 

 earth, and plunged into the hot-bed again, being careful to 

 shade them until they have taken fresh root; then they 

 should have a large share of free air admitted lo them at all 

 times when the weather is favourable, to prevent their draw- 

 ing up weak, and to give them strength before the cold 

 conies on. In autumn the pots should be removed into the 

 stove, and plunged into the tan-bed, where they should con- 

 stantly remain, and must be treated in the same manner as 

 other tender plants from the same countries ; for although 

 two or three of the sorts may be treated in a hardier manner, 

 yet they will rot thrive well under any other than the above- 

 described management. 



3. Ficus Nymphteifolia; Waterlily-leaved Fig-Tree. Leaves 

 ovate-cordate, mucronate, quite entire, smooth, glaucous un- 

 derneath. This rises with a strong, upright, woody stem, 

 twenty feet high, sending out several side-branches, which 

 have large, oval, thick, stiff leaves, as big as those of Yellow 

 Waterlily, waved a little about the edge, blunt with a point, 

 banking down, as it were, peltate, smooth, whitish underneath, 

 about fourteen inches long, and nearly a foot broad, having 



several transverse veins; the footstalks are a span long and 

 more, compressed, smooth, and frequently turned next to the 

 branches. Native of the East Indies. For its propagation 

 and culture, see the second species. 



4. Ficus Religiosa ; Poplar-leaved Fig-Tree. Leaves ovate- 

 cordate, cuspidate, smooth; fruits sessile. This is a large <ree, 

 with a short trunk, and very long spreading boughs; leaves 

 ever-green, of a light green, six or seven inches long, and three 

 inches and a half broad towards the base, diminishing gra- 

 dually to the top, where they run out into a narrow point, an 

 inch and a half long ; the fruit comes out on the branches, is 

 small, and of no value. This tree is treated by the Hindoos 

 with great veneration, their god Vishnu being born under it; 

 but the Christians profanely call it the Devil's tree. Native 

 of the East Indies and Cochin-china. For its propagation, 

 see the second species. 



5. Ficus Benjamina; Oval-leaved Fig-Tree. Leaves ellip- 

 tic, obtuse, smooth ; fruits acute, sessile. This is a middle- 

 sized tree; branches slender, flexuose, streaked, and wrinkled; 

 fruits globular, scattered on the branchlets. Native of the 

 East Indies. See the second species. 



6. Ficus Bengalensis; Bengal Fig-Tree. Leaves ovate- 

 cordate, quite entire, smooth, blunt, coriaceous ; stem arbo- 

 reous, erect, a fathom in height ; branches like the stem. 

 Native of the East Indies. For its propagation, see the se- 

 cond species. 



7. Ficus Pedunculata; Willow-leaved Fig-Tree. Leaves 

 ovate-oblong, cordate, quite entire, sharp, smooth ; fruits 

 globular; peduncles in pairs, elongated. Native of South 

 America. For its propagation, see the second species. 



8. Ficus Lucida; Shining-leaved Fig-Tree. Leaves ovate- 

 cordate, quite entire, smooth, blunt, three-nerved at the base; 

 branches upright. Native of the East Indies. See the. 

 second species, 



9. Ficus Indica: Indian Fig-Tree. Leaves oblong, rounded 

 at the base, smooth and even, quite entire, somewhat glau- 

 cous underneath, impressed with dots above ; fruits almost 

 globular. This vast tree is entirely smooth, the branches 

 spreading very wide, bowed down, the lower ones rooting, 

 ash-coloured ; fruits aggregate here and there on the branch- 

 lets, peduncled, the size of a hazel-nut. The English call it 

 Banyan-tree; and arbor de rayz, or the rooting-tree, is the 

 Portuguese name; and it propagates itself, as Mr. Evelyn 

 observes, by letting a kind of gummy string fall from its 

 branches, which takes root, and thus spreads over a vast cir- 

 cumference. This, however, is the case with the third, 

 fourth, fifth, sixth, and tenth species, and probably with 

 some others. One of these trees growing near Mangee, 

 twenty miles west of Patna, in Bengal, was 370 feet in dia- 

 meter ; the circumference of the shadow at noon was 1116 

 feet ; and the circumference of the several stems, which were 

 fifty or sixty in number, 921 feet. There is a vast tree ot 

 this kind near Fort St. David's in the East Indies, which is 

 computed to cover nearly 1700 square yards, under the shade 

 of which, it is said, ten thousand men might eommodiously 

 stand : another very celebrated Banyan. tree grows near Gom- 

 broon on the Persian gulf. TheGentoos are almost as sensibly 

 hurt, if any one cuts up or lops oft' any of the branches, as if 

 he had mutilated or destroyed a cow, which he holds in so 

 much veneration. On this account Linneus named the fourth 

 species of this genus religiosa, which is said to be sacred to 

 the Hindoo idol Vishnu, who is believed to have been born 

 under it. Both Strabo and Pliny mention this tree: the 

 former says, that the branches grow horizontally about 

 twelve cubits, then taking a direction to the earth, where 

 they root themselves ; and when they have attained maturity 



