MORACEAE
Morphological description
Plant usually woody. Sometimes herbs (Fatoua); climbers or (hemi)epiphytes (Ficus p.p., Maclura, Malaisia); thorny (Maclura, some Streblus).
Leaves
Leaves spiral, simple, entire, nearly always milky sap; stipulate. Sometimes triplinerved at base, stipule cigar-shaped, amplexicaul (Ficus); compound leaves (Artocarpus, rare).
Inflorescence
Inflorescence condensed into a compact structure in pairs and with a basal bud or single with a basal bud. Sometimes inflorescence a fig (Ficus).
Flowers
Flower unisexual (plants monoecious or dioecious); ovary superior, 1-locular, 1 pendent ovule.
Fruit
Fruit fleshy (spurious), fruit proper an achene or drupelet.
Seed
Seed.
Different from: Urticaceae: no milky sap, ovule basal.
Distribution: The family world-wide, majority of the species in the tropics. In Malesia 14 genera, incl.: - Artocarpus (Indo-Malesia), trees; lowland rain forest; - Ficus (world-wide, tropics and subtropics), shrubs, epiphytes, climbers, trees; lowland and montane rain forest, also secondary forest; - Streblus (Old World from Madagascar to Polynesia), shrubs or trees; lowland and montane rain forest, monsoon forest.
Notes: Members of the Moraceae are prominent in most vegetation types, especially in lowland rain forest. — The fruits of many species are eaten by various animals; pollination of Ficus by fig wasps (see Corner 1988), Artocarpus by Diptera (flies). — Many useful plants for man: edible fruit: Artocarpus, Ficus, Morus; ornamentals: Ficus; timber: Artocarpus; poison: Antiaris; bark cloth, binding material: Artocarpus, Broussonetia*.
Literature: .M. Jarrett, studies in Artocarpus and allied genera, J. Arnold Arbor. 40 (1959) 113-155; 298-326; 41 (1960) 320-334; E. J.H. Corner, The classification of Moraceae, Gard. Bull. Sing. 19 (1962) 187-252; Wayside Trees of Malaya ed. 3 (1988) 509-558; K.M. Kochummen, Tree Fl. Mal. 3 (1978) 119-168. — Prof. C.C. Berg (Bergen, Norway) is revising the family for Flora Malesiana.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Moraceae 19, 57, 58, 63, 76, 89, 92 - Antiaris 96 - Antiaropsis 96 - Artocarpus 33, 37, 53, 62, 70, 75?, 95, 96 - Broussonetia 62, 96 - Fatoua 64 - Ficus 5, 6, 9, 19, 29, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 38, 52, 53, 59, 62, 64, 70, 75, 78, 91, 96; F. dens-echini 12, F. diversifolia 55 - Hulletia 62, 96 - Maclura 4, 12, 96 - Malaisia 5, 79, 96 - Morus 59, 96 - Parartocarpus 95, 96 - Prainea 96 - Streblus 12, 38, 91, 96.
Illustrations: Fig. 110. Artocarpus dadah Miq., twig with female inflorescence (Courtesy Dr. P. J.A. Kessler), Fig. 111. Ficus albipila (Miq.) King: a. LS of fig; b. staminate flower; c. pistillate flower.
Image in PhytoImages for Moraceae