The present study aimed to isolate soil microorganisms-degrading plant latices and to screen their capablilities of producing protease and lipase. Many bacterial and fungal strains of mesophilic, thermotolerant or thermophilic nature were able to grow on sugar-free medium amended with crude latex of either Euphorbia pulcherrima, Ficus elastica or F. nitida and incubated at 25oC, 36oC or 45oC. T...

Flowering phenology is central to the ecology and evolution of most flowering plants. In highly-specific nursery pollination systems, such as that involving fig trees (Ficus species) and fig wasps (Agaonidae), any mismatch in timing has serious consequences because the plants must balance seed production with maintenance of their pollinator populations. Most fig trees are found in tropical or s...

Plant latex, the source of natural rubber, has been of interest to mankind for millennia, with much of the research on its rheological (flow) properties focused towards industrial application. However, little is known regarding the rheology of the native material as produced by the plant, a key factor in determining latex's biological functions. In this study, we outline a method for rheologica...

dust accumulation capacity of ficus carica l. and psidium guajava l. was investigated from eight different sites of multan, pakistan.  leaves of both plants were used for analyzing biometric (leaf area, fresh and dry weights) and biochemical attributes (chlorophyll contents, carotenoids and ascorbic acid).  maximum dust accumulation was occurred in the plants growing near road sites, while, min...

Cytoplasmic chloroplast DNA was explored to establish genetic relationships among Ficus carica cultivars and elucidate the molecular evolution of the species. The results suggest the occurrence of haplotype and nucleotide diversity. Conserved group I intron sequence motifs were detected and showed a common secondary structure, despite the presence of some mutations on their sequences. The neigh...

Natural rubber was extracted from the fig tree (Ficus carica) cultivated in Korea as part of a survey of rubber producing plants. Fourier transform infrared and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of samples prepared by successive extraction with acetone and benzene confirmed that the benzene-soluble residues are natural rubber, cis-1,4-polyisoprene. The rubber content in the latex of fig...

Four new cyclopropyl-triterpenes, 27-nor-3beta-hydroxy-25-oxocycloartane (1), (22E)-25,26,27-trinor-3beta-hydroxycycloart-22-en-24-al (2), 3beta-acetoxy-15alpha-hydroxy-13,27-cyclours-11-ene (3), 3beta-acetoxy-12alpha-formyloxy-13,27-cycloursan-11alpha-ol (4), together with (23E)-27-nor-3beta-hydroxycycloart-23-en-25-one (5) were isolated from the aerial roots of Ficus microcarpa. Compounds 3 a...

Ficus carica L. (Moraceae) is a plant of great importance in the traditional Arab medicine thanks to its therapeutic properties. This work was carried out in order to contribute to the ethnopharmacological knowledge of this medicinal species. We describe phytochemical compounds and ethnopharmacological properties of F. carica, species that has been used in traditional medicine for many decades....

Two new furanocoumarins, 5-(1",1"-dimethylallyl)-8-methyl psoralen (1) and 2"-O-acetyl oxypeucedanin hydrate-3"-methyl ether (2), were isolated from the root heartwood of Ficus carica Linn. together with three known furanocoumarins, two triterpenoids, two long-chain compounds, and a steroid. Their structures and relative configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (IR, HR-ESI-MS, an...