Common cluster fig

The magnificent semi-deciduous common cluster fig grows between 10-35m. It has a huge buttressed trunk and a widely spreading crown and can be identified not just by its size, but by a pale yellowish-orange bark, normally powdery or flaking. Large, hard leaves grow on this huge tree, and have a rough and hairy texture. The figs are yellowish-red and large, some 20-50mm in diametre, and are produced in large bunches off the main branches year round. The common cluster fig can be found in riverine vegetation and often grow in groves.

This tree is a great favourite with the environment, and the leaves are highly nutritious source of food for livestock. The figs attract fruit and insect-eating birds. Bats, monkeys, baboons, bushpigs, antelope and people eat the fruit, so if you find yourself camping under one of them, you won't be alone for long! The bark and milky sap are used in traditional medicines and if you decide to buy a drum from a woodcarvers market, then the chances are it has been made from the common cluster fig. Rope is made from the inner bark.