Datir / Creeping Fig
Ficus heterophylla
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands & more
- Flowering
- April-December
How to identify Datir
Identify Datir by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Trailing/creeping vine habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Orbicular (round).
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Moraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Datir.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ficus heterophylla
- Genus
- Ficus
- Family
- Moraceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Along river banks
- Habitat type
- Wetland
- Native to
- Indo-Malay
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South China to Java, Borneo
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Orbicular (round)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Datir itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Catkin
- Fruit
- Drupe
Typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Bengali
- ভূঈ দুমুর Bhui dumur
- Tamil
- கொடி அத்தி Kodi atthi, அவனம் Avanam, புரோனி Buroni
- Kannada
- ಅಡವಿಬೆಂಡೆ Adavi bende, ಬಿಳಿಅತ್ತಿ, ಬಿಳಿಯತ್ತಿ Bili atti
- Malayalam
- Vallitherakam
- Marathi
- Datir, Kharavamti-vel
About Datir
Creeping Fig (Ficus heterophylla) is a shrub in the Moraceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 7 other states. It grows in along river banks. Flowering and fruiting run from April to December.
Moraceae
Fig/Mulberry family
Datir belongs to the Moraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Moraceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides