Ficus maclellandii – Banana-Leaf Fig

Larval Host Plant

Euploea core – Common Crow

Other notes

Taxonomic Information: Previously its most common cultivar was misidentified under the spurious name Ficus longifolia or as Ficus binnendijkii. Berg (2007) examined ornamental narrow-leaved ("longifolia") trees, and found that they belong to F. maclenllandii and not to F. binnendijkii.

 

Natural History: Native Evergreen Tree.
A evergreen tree native to Northeast Indai and Southeast Asia. It is often grown as houseplant and also cultivated as an ornamental in urban gardens. Leaves are dimorphic with narrow leaves on lower branches and broader leaves on higher branches (eFlora of India, 2023).

 

Notes: This plant has been recorded as a new larval host plant for Euploea core – Common Crow by Paresh Churi from Thane, Maharashtra in May 2016.

 

References:
Berg, C.C. (2007). Leaf dimorphy in Ficus binnendijkii and Ficus maclellandii (Moraceae) and the identity of the ornamental trees known under the name "F. longifolia". Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany), 35: 29–30. ISSN 2465-423X. [URL]
eFlora of India (2023): Ficus maclellandii. Accessed on 04 Dec 2023. [URL]
WFO (2023): Ficus maclellandii King. Accessed on 04 Dec 2023. [URL]

Page citation

Churi, P., and N. Kawthankar. 2024. Ficus maclellandii King – Banana-Leaf Fig. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/ficus-maclellandii, accessed 2024/12/06.