Trilepisium, the urnfigs or false-figs, is a small Afrotropical genus of plants in family Moraceae. They grow to medium-sized or large trees that occur in evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, flooded forests or forest patches and often along rivers and streams,[1] and at altitudes of up to 2,000 m[2] and over.[3]
The bole may be 60 cm wide, and is often fluted at the base.[3] The smooth, grey bark is very lenticellate[4] and exudes a cream-coloured latex when damaged.[2] The yellowish to pinkish slash turns purple-red as it dries.[4] They usually branch high up to form a small and loosely pyramidal crown[3] with drooping twigs. Stipules of terminal buds eventually leave annular scars.[4]
The glossy and very dark elliptic leaves have a prominent driptip,[1] and measure up to 14 cm long.[2] They are glossy below, and have two small lobes at the base.[4]
The flowers appear in spring and are arranged in a whitish to mauve puff.[2] The puff is about 1 cm in diameter,[1] and consists of staminate male flowers and pistillate female flowers, without perianths,[2] which obscure the view of the receptacle.[5] The flowers protrude from the open apex of an urn-shaped receptacle which is about 1.5 cm long.[1]
The fig-like fruit, embedded in the fleshy receptacles, are some 2 cm long.[2] They are ellipsoidal in shape and hold a nutlet each.[1][4] Ripe fruit have the appearance of blue plums.[4]
The two species are distinguished on floral characteristics:[6]
The wood of T. madagascariense is suitable for furniture, and the sap yields a red dye.[1] Its roasted seeds are eaten and it is sometimes cultivated.[3] A methanol extract, fractions and isoliquiritigenin from T. madagascariense stem bark has been shown to possess antidiarrheal activities,[7] and previously unknown trilepisflavan and trilepisuimic acid compounds were isolated from it in 2012.[8]
Trilepisium madagascariense is a larval foodplant for the butterfly Cyrestis camillus sublineata.[1] On the Seychelles the seeds are likely dispersed by frugivorous birds and fruit bats, but the pollinators are unknown.[6]
Trilepisium, the urnfigs or false-figs, is a small Afrotropical genus of plants in family Moraceae. They grow to medium-sized or large trees that occur in evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, flooded forests or forest patches and often along rivers and streams, and at altitudes of up to 2,000 m and over.
