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Moraceae (fig, mulberry family) Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
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Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Rosids >
Eurosid I > Order: Rosales
About 38 genera and 1100 species, distributed
worldwide, with four genera and 33 species native to southern Africa, two
species that are naturalised and a further nine genera and 14 species that are
cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from Jordaan (2000) and Palgrave & Palgrave (2002).
Ficus
(figs) About 755 species distributed wordwide, with 30 species
native to southern Africa and an additional 31 species that are cultivated in
the region. |
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Maclura The 11 species
occur widely in the tropics, with one species native to Africa,
Maclura africana (African osage-orange),
which extends from Kenya down to South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga and
KwaZulu-Natal), and which is also found in Madagascar. |
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Milicia
One species, Milicia excelsa (Iroko,
Mvule), native to tropical Africa, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique. |
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Morus
(mulberry) About 15 species, native to temperate and
subtropical regions of the Old and New World, with one species, Morus mesozygia,
native to southern Africa, two species that are naturalised and two further
species that are cultivated in the region. The usual mulberry growing in
people's gardens is Morus nigra (Common or Black Mulberry). |
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Myrianthus
Myrianthus holstii is native to eastern Zimbabwe. |
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Streblus
Streblus usambarensis is native to Mozambique. Streblus asper
is native from Sri Lanka to the Philippines and is cultivated in southern
Africa. |
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Trilepisium One species
Trilepisium madagascariense
(Valsvy) , which
is native to tropical and subtropical Africa. |
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Other genera, cultivated in southern Africa
List from Glen (2002). The species name is provided in
genera that have only one species represented in southern Africa.
Artocarpus
Artocarpus altilis (Breadfruit -
native to Indonesia and New Guinea) and
Artocarpus heterophyllus
(Jackfruit - native to India) are cultivated in southern Africa. |
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Brousonnetia papyrifera (Paper
mulberry) Native from China to Polynesia. |
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Cecropia Two
species cultivated in southern Africa: Cecropia palmata (native to
Brazil and Peru), and Cecropia peltata (Trumpet tree) (native from
Mexico to Venezuela). |
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Chlorophora tinctoria (Fustic,
Insira) Native from Brazil to Mexico and the West
Indies. |
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Dorstenia Two
species cultivated in southern Africa: Dorstenia contrajerva (native
to Central America, West Indies and Peru) and Dorstenia hildebrandtii
(native to eastern tropical Africa). |
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Musanga cecropioides (Umbrella
tree) Native to tropical Africa. |
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Treculia africana (African
breadfruit) Native to tropical Africa and Madagascar. |
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Cannabis (hemp, dagga) and Humulus (hops) were once included under
Moraceae but are now placed in the family Cannabaceae.
Publications
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Jordaan, M. 2000. Moraceae. In: Seed Plants of
Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 415-416. .
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of
Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.
- Palgrave, K.C. and Palgrave, M.C. 2002. Trees of Southern Africa. 3rd
Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
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