Ficus aspera, the clown fig, a plant native to Vanuatu in the south Pacific region. Another common name for this plant is Mosaic Fig. It has decorative large broad leaves and 1 inch showy round fruit that are mottled green, cream, and pink.I saw it today (2024.01.16) outside a greenhouse at the Los Angeles Arboretum. I have been to the Arboretum many times, and for the first time I noticed its special fruit, which is very similar to the watermelon candy I ate in Taiwan when I was a child.
Ficus aspera，小丑無花果，是原產於南太平洋地區瓦努阿圖的植物。這種植物的另一個俗名是馬賽克無花果。它有裝飾性大而寬的葉子，以及1 英寸花俏的圓形果實，參雜了些綠色、奶油色和粉紅色。我今天 (2024.01.16) 在洛杉磯植物園的一個溫室外看到它，去植物園好多次，第一次注意到它特別的果實，很像小時候在臺灣吃的西瓜糖。
Photo Date: 2024.01.16 Location: LA Arboretum
Notes 筆記
- Ficus aspera, clown Fig, a plant is native to island country of the Republic of Vanuatu which is located in an archipelago in the South Pacific about equal distance from New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. It was first found on Tanna Island, one of the more southern islands of the archipelago, in the late 18th century and described by the German botanist Georg Forster (Johann Georg Adam Forster) in 1786.
- The genus name Ficus comes from the ancient Latin name for figs and their edible fruit and the specific epithet is from the Latin word 'asper', meaning "rough to the touch" and is in reference to the texture of the leaves. Another common name for this plant is Mosaic Fig.
- Clown Fig has decorative large broad leaves that have splashes of a white variegation and are rough textured. Another decorative aspect is its 1 inch showy round fruit that are mottled green, cream, and pink, which like many figs is cauliflorous, meaning the fruit arises from main stems or woody trunks rather than from new leafy growth.
- This plant can be used as a hedge or a garden specimen and can also be grown in a container to be brought indoors in colder climates or as a house plant with bright light and some humidity.
- Ficus aspera，小丑無花果，這種植物原產於瓦努阿圖共和國的島國，該國位於南太平洋的一個群島，距新幾內亞、澳大利亞和新西蘭的距離大約相同。它於 18 世紀末首次在塔納島（群島較南部的島嶼之一）被發現，並由德國植物學家 Johann Georg Adam Forster 於 1786 年描述。
- 無花果屬名稱 Ficus 來自無花果及其可食用果實的古拉丁名稱，種小名來自拉丁詞“asper”，意思是“摸起來粗糙”，指的是葉子的質地。這種植物的另一個俗名是馬賽克無花果。
- 小丑無花果有裝飾性大而寬的葉子，上面有白色的雜色斑點，質地粗糙。另一個裝飾層面是它有 1 英寸花俏的圓形果實，參雜了些綠色、奶油色和粉紅色，與許多無花果一樣是花生于莖上的，這意味著果實是來自主莖或木質樹幹，而不是來自新葉生長。
- 這種植物可以用作樹籬或花園樣本，也可以種植在容器中，在寒冷的氣候下放置室內，或在明亮光線和有些濕度時做室內植物。
Plants Posts 植物的帖子
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Ficus aspera
- San Marcos: Ficus aspera - Clown Fig