Dye Fig
Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- December-May
How to identify Dye Fig
Identify Dye Fig 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: Fruit historically used as a dye.
- Confirm leaf shape: Elliptic (widest at middle).
- Confirm leaf surface: Hirsute (coarsely hairy).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Moraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Dye Fig.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa
- Genus
- Ficus
- Family
- Moraceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plains
- Distribution
- India, China and Sri Lanka, Timor, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Elliptic (widest at middle)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dye Fig 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
- Tamil
- இத்தி, கல்லத்தி
- Malayalam
- ഇത്തി
About Dye Fig
Dye Fig (Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa) belongs to the Moraceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 5 other states. It grows in moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from December to May.
Moraceae
Fig/Mulberry family
Dye Fig belongs to the Moraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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.
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