347
First record of Ficus microcarpa L. f. 
(Moraceae) in Algeria 
Nora Sakhraoui1, Filip Verloove2 & Azzedine Hadef1 
Abstract
The escape from cultivation of Ficus microcarpa (Moraceae, Magnoliopsida) in 
Algeria is here reported. Several localities where the species reproduces from 
seeds have been discovered recently in northeastern Algeria. A map of its current 
distribution in the study area is provided. The species colonizes mainly urban 
habitats (walls, balconies and sidewalks) but its propagation in the natural 
environment is being facilitated by birds that disseminate the seeds over long 
distances. Ficus microcarpa can be considered as in the process of naturalization in 
Algeria. An updated key to species of the genus Ficus in Algeria is provided.
Izvleček
V članku poročamo o pobegu gojene vrste Ficus microcarpa (Moraceae, 
Magnoliopsida) v Alžiriji. V zadnjem času smo v severovzhodni Alžiriji odkrili 
številne lokacije, kjer se vrsta razširja s semeni. Prikazali smo karto razširjenosti 
v obravnavanem območju. Vrsta naseljuje predvsem urbana rastišča (zidove, 
balkone in pločnike), njeno razmnioževanje v naravnem okolju pa pospešujejo 
ptiči z razširjanjem semen na dolge razdalje. Vrsto Ficus microcarpa lahko v Alžiriji 
obravnavamo kot vrsto v procesu naturalizacije. Podali smo tudi posodobljen 
določevalni ključ rodu Ficus v Alžiriji.
Key words: Alien flora, new record, 
North Africa, syconia.
Ključne besede: Tujerodna flora, 
novi podatki, Severna Afrika, 
sikonija.
Corresponding author:
Nora Sakhraoui
E-mail:  
sakhraouinora05@gmail.com
Received: 1. 9. 2021
Accepted: 2. 4. 2022
1 Department of Nature and Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University 20 August 1955 Skikda, Skikda, 21000, Algeria.
2 Meise Botanic Garden, Nieuwelaan 38, B-1860 Meise, Belgium.
DOI: 10.2478/hacq-2022-000821/2 • 2022, 347–354
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Introduction 
The family Moraceae is represented in Algeria by only 
three genera, namely Ficus Tourn. ex L., Maclura Nutt. 
and Morus L., and accommodates only woody species 
(Dobignard & Chatelain, 2012). The genus Ficus is 
the only one that includes native taxa such as F. cordata 
Thunb. subsp. salicifolia (Vahl) C.C. Berg (syn.: F. salicifo-
lia Vahl) or F. ingens (Miq.) Miq., both found exclusively 
in the desert areas (Maire, 1961; Quézel & Santa, 1962). 
Several other species of the same genus, originating from 
tropical areas, have been introduced in Algeria for a very 
long time, mainly by the Hamma acclimatization garden 
during the colonial period. A total of 38 species have been 
progressively introduced, among which Ficus benjamina 
L., F. elastica Roxb. ex Hornem., F. lyrata Warb., F. macro-
phylla Pers., F. microcarpa L. f., F. racemosa L., F. religiosa 
L., F. rubiginosa Desf. ex Vent., F. scabra G. Forst., F. sur 
Forssk. and F. sycomorus L. (Hardy, 1863). Among these 
species, several are evergreen and very decorative while 
others are good rubber producers such as F. variegata 
Blume from Sumatra. The successful acclimatization of 
several of them allowed their subsequent distribution by 
all the nurseries that were set up at that time in the differ-
ent regions of the country (Carra & Gueit, 1952).
Currently, Ficus benjamina, F. elastica, F. lyrata, F. mac-
rophylla and F. microcarpa are among the most applied 
taxa of the genus in Algeria. The first three species are 
mainly used as indoor plants and are rarely cultivated in 
gardens, while the last two are mainly cultivated in public 
green spaces, the considerable size that they can reach at 
maturity probably having hampered their use in private 
gardens that, most of the time, are limited in surface. 
Apart from Ficus carica L., a species with edible fruits 
that is reported as naturalized in Algeria (Dobignard & 
Chatelain, 2012) but assumed to be native to the Maghreb 
and North Africa in general (Maire, 1961; Quézel & San-
ta, 1962) and F. pumila L., a liana native to China and Ja-
pan, reported as cultivated/subspontaneous in our country 
(Dobignard & Chatelain, 2012), no other species of the 
genus has been recorded so far outside of cultivation.
In the context of the monitoring of population dynam-
ics of potentially invasive species recorded in our previ-
ous work (Sakhraoui et al., 2019a, 2019b, 2019c), car-
ried out mainly in northeastern Algeria, more precisely 
in the wilaya of Skikda and the wilaya of El-Tarf, allowed 
us to record the escape of Ficus microcarpa. This species 
has already been reported as escaped from cultivation in 
some countries of North Africa (Dobignard & Chatelain, 
2012) but never before in Algeria. In this paper, we as-
sess the species degree of naturalization and the nature of 
the colonized habitats and we provide information rela-
tive to its reproduction mode and dispersion. This newly 
gathered information allows us to better understand the 
success of its escape and to predict the evolution of its 
propagation in the area under study.
Materials and methods
During botanical surveys carried out between 2015 and 
2021 in two wilayas of northeastern Algeria, namely the 
wilaya of Skikda and the wilaya of El-Tarf, several locali-
ties with growing Ficus microcarpa were discovered. These 
field surveys were mainly carried out in urban areas, par-
ticularly cities and villages, but natural or semi-natural ar-
eas were also occasionally surveyed; in the latter case, ob-
vious tracks through easily accessible areas were followed.
The identification and description of the species was 
facilitated to the consultation of the Flora of North Af-
rica (Maire, 1961), the Flora of North America (retrieved 
from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1 
&taxon_id=112770) and the Flora of China (retrieved 
from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id= 
2&taxon_id=200006364). Synonymy was checked at 
the level of WFO (2021), and the degree of naturalization 
was assessed according to Pyšek et al. (2004). To confirm 
the originality of our records, international databases fo-
cusing on plant biodiversity were consulted, notably the 
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, 2021) 
and the African Plant Database (APD, 2021).
Data relating to the biological characteristics of Ficus 
microcarpa, in particular the fructification and the pro-
duction of seeds or the diseases which can affect the spe-
cies, were recorded by the first author (N.S.) following 
personal observations made in situ, mainly in the gardens 
of the University campus of the region of Skikda, which 
was recently integrated into the common research service 
‘pôle de vulgarisation botanique’.
Results and discussion
A total of 16 individuals of various sizes were observed, 
distributed over ten localities, eight of which were in the 
Skikda region and only two in the El-Tarf region (Fig-
ure 1). The different observations, including the date of 
recording, size of individuals, geographical coordinates, 
physical description and photographs of the various re-
corded localities are presented further down.
Morphological description
Ficus microcarpa L. f., Suppl. Pl. 442. 1782 ≡ 
Urostigma microcarpum (L. f.) Miq., = F. retusa L. var. 
crassifolia W. C. Shieh, = Ficus rubra Roth
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A moderate to large, evergreen, up to 15–20 m tall tree, 
with a dense rounded crown, dark gray bark, aerial roots 
when old, glabrous shiny leaves and paired; sessile, purple 
or black, obovoid, pyriform, or nearly globose, 9–11 × 
5–6 mm syconia. Male, gall, and female flowers within 
same fig. Male flowers: scattered, sessile or pedicellate; 
filament as long as anther. Gall and female flowers: se-
pals 3, broadly ovate; style ± lateral; stigma short, clavate. 
Achenes ovoid. 
Phenology: in studied region, the production of syco-
nia bearing male and female flowers starts from July and 
the mature fruits bearing fertile seeds (Figure 2) appear 
from the end of August.
Native range and general distribution
Native from Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Singapore, 
Taiwan, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, northern Australia, 
New Caledonia and many Pacific Islands (Berg & Corner, 
2005), Ficus microcarpa is widely cultivated as ornamental 
tree in different regions of the world and easily escapes 
from cultivation, notably in Central and South Ameri-
ca, Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaiian Islands (Wunderlin, 
1997), southern California (Riefner, 2016), Bermuda, 
New Zealand, and some Mediterranean countries like 
Italy, Spain, Tunisia and Palestine where it is sometimes 
considered as invasive (see e.g. Galasso et al., 2017; El 
Mokni, 2019). 
Growing localities in Algeria, habitat 
and degree of naturalization
The species was first observed in the village of Hamadi 
Krouma (wilaya of Skikda), where an individual of about 
1 m growing on the wall of an old building was spotted on 
15 March 2021 (Table 1, locality n°1), then three others, 
smaller individuals of 20 to 30 cm tall were found on 19 
March 2021 in the same village, emerging from a crack at 
the edge of a sidewalk in the center of the city (Table 1, 
locality n°2), where adult trees are cultivated at only 2 to 
3 m from the recorded individuals, the latter probably be-
ing the origin of this appearance (Figure 3). We initially 
thought that the young specimens were issued from the 
suckering of the roots of the old trees, however the pull-
ing up of one of them revealed the erroneousness of this 
idea: to our great astonishment, they originated from the 
germination of seeds which had, until now, never been 
reported in Algeria.
This observation encouraged us to look for the species 
in other places, especially urban habitats. Thus, on April 
12, 2021, it was found in the common service of the 
research pole of botanical popularization located in the 
University Campus of the wilaya of Skikda, where three 
individuals grew on the walls of old buildings, varying 
in size and ranging in length from 40 to 80 cm (Table 1, 
locality n° 3). Old trees are also grown here, bearing fruit 
regularly and often reproducing through aerial layering.
Figure 1: Localities where Ficus microcarpa was recorded in northeastern Algeria. The numbers of localities correspond to Table 1.
Slika 1: Kraji, kjer so zabeležili Ficus microcarpa v severovzhodni Alžiriji. Številke lokacij so enako kot v Tabeli 1.
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The enlargement of the survey area allowed us to dis-
cover other individuals in the wilaya of El-Tarf, located 
about 150 km east of the wilaya of Skikda. Two individ-
uals of about 1 m each were observed on 1 June 2021 
growing on an old building in the center of the village 
of El-Besbes (Table 1, locality n°9), then in the village 
of Ben M’Hidi where an individual of about 90 cm tall 
was observed on the wall of a local bank (Table 1, locality 
n°10). In this wilaya, F. microcarpa is also widely culti-
vated in public gardens as an ornamental plant or at the 
edges of avenues as a line tree. 
Although the species maintained in the observation 
stations has begun to establish itself in the natural en-
vironment, in particular on the 
sea cliffs of Stora, where we sus-
pect the presence of other indi-
viduals, the status of natural-
ized plant cannot be attributed 
to it, because its appearance in 
the region remains recent, from 
where it is considered here as in 
the process of naturalization (ac-
cording to Pyšek et al., 2004).
From 19 to 21 May 2021, five other individuals of vari-
able sizes ranging from 30 cm to 2 m, growing on walls 
and balconies of old buildings, were observed in different 
cities of the old town of Skikda (Table 1, locality n°4, 5, 
6, 7), each time in the vicinity of old trees of considerable 
size that are planted at the edges of the avenues. 
On 31 May 2021, a young individual of about 50 cm 
tall was found clinging to the rocks of a sea cliff exposed 
to salt spray at the edge of the road leading to the port 
of Stora (wilaya of Skikda) (Table 1, locality n°8, Fig-
ure 3D). In this locality, old trees are also cultivated in 
private gardens but no mature trees are located near the 
escaped individual.
1 cm
A1
A3
A2
Figure 2: Fruits of Ficus microcarpa ob-
served in the Skikda region (northeastern 
Algeria). A1: fruits on the tree; A2: different 
stages of maturation of syconia; A3: seeds.  
Photos by Nora Sakhraoui (29.08.2021).
Slika 2: Plodovi vrste Ficus microcarpa 
opaženi v regiji Skikda region 
(severovzhodna Alžirija). A1: plodovi na 
drevesu; A2: različne stopnje zrelosti socvetja 
sikonija; A3: semena.  
Fotografije Nora Sakhraoui (29.08.2021).
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Figure 3: Different habitats 
occupied by Ficus microcarpa in 
the Skikda region (northeastern 
Algeria). A: individual hanging 
on a wall at the joint research 
service, botanical popularization 
pole; B: individual at the edge of 
the sidewalk in the capital of the 
commune of Hamadi Krouma; 
C: individual clinging to a 
building in the town of Skikda; 
D: individual clinging to the 
rocks of a sea cliff at the side of 
the road leading to the port of 
Stora. Photos by N. Sakhraoui 
(01.09.2021). 
Slika 3: Različni habitati, kjer 
se pojavlja vrsta Ficus microcarpa 
v regiji Skikda (severovzhodna 
Alžirija). A: primerek na zidu 
raziskovalne postaje; B: primerek 
na robu pločnika v glavnem 
mestu območja Hamadi 
Krouma; C: primerek na 
zidu zgradbe v mestu Skikda; 
D: primerek na skalovju obmor-
skega klifa ob cesti do pristanišča 
Stora. Fotografije N. Sakhraoui 
(01.09.2021).
This is the first time that Ficus microcarpa has been of-
ficially reported in Algeria as in the process of naturaliza-
tion. However, an observation of the species dating from 
2019 exists on the iNaturalist platform (https://www.
inaturalist.org/) which was taken over by GBIF (2021). 
Careful examination of the images and information pub-
lished in this site, allow us to say that the observation 
seems to represent a tree in a bus station in the city of 
Algiers, but no details on the exact status of the species 
were given, requiring a verification in the field if it is an 
escaping or cultivating origin. 
In North Africa, the species is reported occasionally in 
Egypt (El Beheiry et al., 2020) and cultivated/escaped 
in Morocco and Libya (Dobignard & Chatelain, 2012). 
In Tunisia, Ficus microcarpa is reported as a casual alien 
where it occurs as an epiphyte colonizing preferentially 
trees such as Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don., Melia az-
edarach L. and Phoenix canariensis Chabaud (El Mokni, 
2019). In Algeria, however, the species probably prefers 
rocky habitats like the original substrate in the native 
range which makes it particularly threatening to the na-
tive flora of sea cliffs, especially those of Stora where it 
A
C
B
D
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is at the beginning of establishment. The cliffs of Stora 
harbor an important area of plant diversity, with some 
rare and endemic taxa (Sakhraoui et al., 2020) but they 
are under increasing anthropic pressure which has largely 
facilitated the spread of some exotic plants with a strong 
invasive character notably Arundo donax L., Opuntia 
Figure 4: Cottony secretions of Macrohomotoma gladiata on leaves of 
Ficus microcarpa (Skikda, northeastern Algeria). Photo by N. Sakhraou 
(31. 09. 2021).
Slika 4: Bombažni izločki vrste Macrohomotoma gladiata na listih Ficus 
microcarpa (Skikda, severovzhodna Alžirija). Fotografija N. Sakhraou 
(31. 09. 2021).
Id Locality Wilaya Number of 
individuals
Habitat Latitude Longitude Altitude (m)
1 City of Hamadi krouma Skikda 1 Wall 36°50’36” 006°55’50” 20
2 City of Hamadi krouma Skikda 3 Sidewalk 36°50’43”  006°56’34” 20
3 University of 20 August 1955 Skikda 3 Wall 36°50’57” 006°53’30” 20
4 City of Skikda Skikda 2 Wall 36°52’53” 006°54’23» 29
5 City of Skikda Skikda 1 Balconies 36°52’55” 006°54’24” 30
6 City of Skikda Skikda 1 Old building 36°52’46” 006°54’29” 52
7 City of Skikda Skikda 1 Balconies 36°52’37” 006°54’33” 46
8 Stora Skikda 1 Sea cliff 36°53’24” 006°53’22” 39
9 Village of El-Besbes El-Tarf 2 Old building 36°42’10” 007°50’27” 24
10 Village of Ben M’Hidi El-Tarf 1 Wall 36°46’05” 007°54’10” 11
Table 1: Geographic coordinates of recorded localities of Ficus microcarpa in Algeria.
Tabela 1: Geografske koordinate zabeleženih nahajališč vrste Ficus microcarpa v Alžiriji.
ficus-indica (L.) Mill. and O. stricta (Haw.) Haw. Ficus 
microcarpa could also be found in this region, exposed 
to sea spray, the conditions favorable to its propagation 
that could lead to the explosive proliferation of its popu-
lations. Species is salt tolerant ; it has been identified as 
a halophyte (Yensen, 2015). It is also renowned for its 
ability to adapt to dry and harsh conditions in its native 
range and where it has been introduced (Riefner, 2016) 
which also makes it a threat to the other types of environ-
ments in Algeria.
The other negative effect that can be caused by the lith-
ophytic aspect of F. microcarpa is most likely the destruc-
tive action of its roots on urban structures (foundations, 
streets, sidewalks and water systems, among others), as 
was demonstrated for F. benjamina (Vargas-Garzón & 
Molina-Prieto, 2012).
The local authorities, including those responsible for 
the development of urban green spaces, participate con-
siderably in the propagation of this species by planting 
it on a large scale at the edges of most of the roads of 
the country, especially in its northern part, where the 
climatic conditions influenced by the Mediterranean Sea 
are favorable to the development of this species (Riefner, 
2016). In the northeast of Algeria, it is one of the most 
planted trees in recent years in the urban and peri-urban 
environment, along with e.g. Acacia saligna (Labill.) H. 
Wendl., Myoporum laetum G. Forst., Washingtonia filifera 
(Rafarin) H. Wendl. ex de Bary and W. robusta H. Wendl 
(Sakhraoui, 2021). Its more or less rapid growth, its toler-
ance of hot summers, its indifference to the nature of the 
soil and the well supplied shade offered by the old trees 
(Weber, 2003), have apparently encouraged its selection 
among dozens of other exotic species for a wide use in Al-
geria. For all these reasons, we foresee its potential escape 
from cultivation in other coastal cities of the country. 
In the study area, the species is always present in iso-
lated individuals growing mostly on the walls of old 
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buildings at heights that can, sometimes, be important 
(the highest subject was observed in the city of Skikda at 
a height of about 15 m), indicating the involvement of 
birds and probably also ants in the dissemination of seeds 
(Simberloff, 2013). However, birds also seem to facilitate 
their germination (Traveset, 1998).
The production and fertility of the seeds raise ques-
tions about the pollinating agent of the flowers. The 
fruits of Ficus microcarpa are specifically pollinated by 
Eupristina verticillata Waterston (Wang et al., 2015a), 
a wasp that has not yet been confirmed in Algeria, nor 
have we observed it inside the figs examined. In 1961, 
Maire wrote about F. microcarpa cultivated in North Af-
rican countries: “Cette espèce fleurit abondamment chez 
nous, mais ne donne pas de graines” [translated: This 
species flowers abundantly in our country, but does not 
give seeds]. This means that, at that time, the pollinator 
did not exist yet in Algeria, but it was probably intro-
duced accidentally afterwards. This would explain the 
escape of the species which cannot reproduce sexually 
unless this specific fig wasp pollinator is present, since 
they are linked by a very intimate mutualistic relation-
ship (Wang et al., 2015a). The presence of the wasp has 
been reported in some Mediterranean countries where 
the escape of Ficus microcarpa has also been observed in-
cluding Turkey (Doğanlar, 2012; Uludağ et al., 2017) 
and Italy (Lo Verde et al., 1991; Galasso et al., 2018). In 
North Africa, it is reportedly known from Tunisia and 
the Canary Islands (see Van Noort et al., 2013). How-
ever, other non-pollinating wasps that can be found in 
Ficus microcarpa figs were also reported in the Mediter-
ranean region such as Meselatus bicolor Chen, Odontof-
roggatia galili Wiebes and Walkerella microcarpae Bouček 
(Lo Verde & Porcelli, 2010; Doğanlar, 2012), the first 
two of which have a very marked negative impact on 
seed and pollinator development (Wang et al., 2015b). 
The entire wasp fauna associated with figs of this species 
is to be researched in Algeria.
Our field surveys allowed us to record 30 cultivated 
individuals attacked by the psyllid Macrohomotoma glad-
iata Kuwayama (Figure 4) whose presence in Algeria 
has already been reported in Mostaganem (northwest-
ern Algeria) (Guenaoui & Ouvrard, 2016). The whitish 
cotton-wool like secretions produced by this bio-pest, 
which seems to spread on the national territory, cause 
the deformation of leaves and young shoots, as they can 
stop their development and even cause their death (Rob-
erti et al., 2016). In the event of an invasion, this and 
other pests could potentially be used as biological control 
agents to curb the spread of F. microcarpa, as it has a nega-
tive impact on the growth of the species, however, the 
non-pollinating wasps cited above, in particular Meselatus 
bicolor, seems to be a valuable biological control agent as 
it prevents seeds and pollinators from developing in the 
figs it occupies.
Key to species of the genus Ficus L. in Algeria
Leaves deciduous, palmately lobed, scabrous above, 
whitish-villous below, fruits 3–8 cm long, bulky, pear-
shaped ............................................................ F. carica
Leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate (5–20 × 1–4 cm), 
very rough, fruits 6–10 mm long, pink, fleshy and 
sweet when ripe, finely pubescent................................  
 ........................................... F. cordata subsp. salicifolia
Leaves oval more or less cordiform at the base, large 
(8–15 × 4–10 cm), fruits 8–15 mm long, glabrous, 
small, dry  .......................................................F. ingens
Leaves glabrous, shiny, paired, fruits sessile, dark purple 
or black, obovoid or nearly globose, small  ..................
 ............................................................... F. microcarpa
Liana with lower leaves ovate-cordiform very shortly peti-
olate, upper leaves ovate-oblong rather long petiolate, 
coriaceous, big fruits 5–6 cm long ................. F. pumila
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