Bohdi tree: Ficus religiosa

#LoveYourCampus

Interactive Botanical tour

Point No. 10

Species: Ficus religiosa L.

Family: Moraceae

 

History at University of Pretoria

There are two Ficus religiosa specimens on campus. The largest and oldest tree was planted in the 1960’s and is located next to the old Botany building. It is believed that this tree could be a cutting from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka, however, there is no official UP records confirming this. Nevertheless it is still considered a very valuable tree and was planted in such a way that it is protected from the cold. The younger Ficus religiosa specimen is a cutting from the larger tree and was planted in the Fairy Garden on campus.

 

Description

Ficus religiosa is a species of tree fig which falls under the family Moraceae ². It belongs to the genus Ficus which has over 800 species, making it one of the largest genera of Angiosperms⁶. F. religiosa goes by many common names but two of the most well-known and commonly used names are peepal and bohdi tree⁵.

 

F. religiosa is thought to be native to Indo-China and the Indian subcontinent, ranging from the Himalayan foothills to southwestern China, northern Thailand, and Vietnam. It has always been native to Asian regions, according to plant history, but it has now been introduced and cultivated all over the world⁶. Moreover, people also prefer to grow these

prestigious plants in their gardens. Throughout its cultivation across the world, the plant is mostly dependent on its pollinator wasp, making it difficult to naturalize anywhere

else apart from its native home.

 

The plant is also known to be a sacred tree, having religious value according to Hindus and Buddhists⁸. It is believed that Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, took shelter under a large Bohdi tree when he received enlightenment¹. Many clones have been taken from the original tree including a tree in Sri Lanka known as the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi which is the oldest living tree in the world that has a known planting date⁴.

Photo 37678265, (c) Alan Kwok (King Lun), Ada Tai (Ah Heung), some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alan Kwok (King Lun), Ada Tai (Ah Heung)

 

 

Members of the genus Ficus have an obligate mutualistic relationship with pollinating fig wasps from the family Agaonidae ⁶. All members of the genus Ficus produce what is commonly known as fig fruit which is actually a distinctive fig inflorescence known as a syconium⁵. The syconium is hollow where the inside is lined with many male and female flowers. The pollinating wasp species live within the inflorescence of the plant⁶. However, it is interesting to note that in recent years the Ficus religiosa tree on campus has started producing fertile seed despite the absence of its symbiotic wasp pollinating species.                                                          

The fig inflorescences develop in pairs and are round in shape⁷. Bohdi trees can grow very large and develop wide spreading branches covered in bark that is greyish brown in colour⁷. The trees are dioecious, shedding their leaves in both spring and autumn. When young, F. religiosa grows as an epiphyte but when mature is crown wide⁶.  The figs are green when immature and turn blackish purple when ripe whereas the leaves are a reddish colour when immature and turn green once mature⁵.

Photo 210079498, (c) Curren Frasch, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Curren Frasch

 

 

The leaves are heart-shaped with a leathery texture and are long tipped, tapering to an acuminate apex⁷. The leaves, fruits, roots, latex, seeds and bark are all used for medicinal purposes in different forms⁶.

 

Uses                                       

F. religiosa is known to be a good source of nutrients and has a high variety of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds⁷. It has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to treat medical issues such as gastric problems, inflammatory disorders, infectious disorders, diabetes, diarrhoea, epilepsy and sexual disorders⁶. Therefore, F. religiosa is a versatile plant with a wide variety of medicinal uses⁷.                                                                                                                                    

 

 

Text prepared by Sarah Rich and Nkosinathi Mokwena, 2022 BOT 366 class.

 

Cited sources:

¹Das, S. (2022). The Teachings of The Buddha. Arnava, 11(1), 135–152.

²Ficus religiosa L.: Plants of the World Online: Kew Science. Plants of the World Online. (2022.). Accessible at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:853563-1

 

³Invasive Species Compendium. Ficus religiosa (sacred fig tree). (2022.). Accessible at: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/24168#toDistributionMaps

 

⁴Mohan Ram, H. Y. (2016). Iconic flora of heritage significance in India. Indian Journal of History of Science, 51(2.2). https://doi.org/10.16943/ijhs/2016/v51i2.2/48445

⁵Sandeep, Kumar, A., Dimple, Tomer, V., Gat, Y., & Kumar, V. (2018). Ficus religiosa: A wholesome medicinal plant . Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 7(4), 32–37.

⁶Singh, D., Singh, B., & Goel, R. K. (2011). Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of ficus religiosa: A Review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 134(3), 565–583.

⁷Singh, S., Jain, S. K., Alok, S., Chanchal, D., & Rashi, S. (2016.). A Review on Ficus religiosa - An Important Medicinal Plant . International Journal of Life Sciences Review , 2(1), 1–11.

⁸Singh, S., Jain, S. K., Alok, S., Chanchal, D., & Rashi, S. (2016.). A Review on Ficus

religiosa - An Important Medicinal Plant . International Journal of Life Sciences Review ,

2(1), 1–11.