About Ficus virens Aiton
Ficus virens Aiton is a fig tree that falls into the strangler fig group, because its seeds can germinate on other trees, then grow to strangle and eventually kill the host tree. It ranges from a medium-sized to an extremely large tree: it reaches 24 to 27 metres (79 to 89 ft) tall in dry areas, and can grow up to 32 metres (105 ft) tall in wetter areas. In its Indian growing environment, it has two distinct growth periods: one in spring, from February to early May, and another during the monsoon rainy season, from June to early September. Its new leaves grow in an attractive reddish pink shade that is very pleasing to the eye. This is an extremely large tree, and the width of its crown can sometimes exceed the tree's total height. Campbell documented one individual tree with a photograph, stating it had a girth at breast height of 37 m (121 ft), equal to a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 11.5 m (38 ft). The photograph of this individual shows no sign of buttresses or basal swelling. For food use, the leaves are known in Thai cuisine as phak liap (Thai: ผักเลียบ). They are eaten boiled as a vegetable in Northern Thai curries, and are called phak hueat (ผักเฮือด) in the Northern Thai dialect.
