Ficus racemosa
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| Species: | F. racemosa
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Ficus glomerata Roxb. | |
Ficus racemosa (syn. ) is a species of plant in the Moraceae family. Popularly known as the Cluster Fig Tree or Goolar Fig, this is native to Australasia, South-East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. it is unusual in that its figs grow on or close to the tree trunk.
It serves as a food plant for the caterpillars of the butterfly the Two-brand Crow (Euploea sylvester) of northern Australia.[1]
In Hinduism
In the Atharva Veda, this fig tree (Sanskrit: udumbara) is given prominence as a means for acquiring prosperity and vanquishing foes.[2] For instance, regarding an amulet of the udumbara tree, a hymn (AV xix,31) extols:
- The Lord of amulets art thou, most mighty: in thee wealth's
- ruler hath engendered riches,
- These gains are lodged in thee, and all great treasures. Amulet,
- conquer thou: far from us banish malignity and indigence,
- and hunger.
- Vigour art thou, in me do thou plant vigour: riches art thou, so
- do thou grant me riches.
- Plenty art thou, so prosper me with plenty: House-holder, hear
- a householder's petition.[3]
In Buddhism
Both the tree and the flower are referred to as the udumbara (Sanskrit, Pali; Devanagari: उडुम्बर) in Buddhism.[4] Udumbara can also refer to the blue lotus (Nila udumbara) flower. The udumbara flower appears in chapters 2 and 27 of the Lotus Sutra, an important Mahayana Buddhist text. The Japanese word udonge (優曇華) was used by Dōgen Zenji to refer to the flower of the udumbara tree in chapter 68 of the Shōbōgenzō ("Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma"). Dōgen places the context of the udonge flower in the Flower Sermon given by Gautama Buddha on Vulture Peak.
References
- ^ Braby, Michael F. (2005). The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. pp. p. 194. ISBN 0-643-09027-4.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ See, e.g., Shyam Singh Shashi (1999), Encyclopaedia Indica (Anmol Publications), Ch. 9 "The Tree Cult," esp. pp. 241, 244-46. Retrieved 19 Nov 2008 from "Google Books" at http://books.google.com/books?id=jMmYDrm_7NAC&pg=PA245&lpg=PA245&dq=%22Atharva+Veda%22+%2Budumbara&source=bl&ots=fFDRDDKwjG&sig=Cz2M4dHwRFAE7Kq5EvltRO2sbV0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA247,M1.
- ^ Ralph T.H. Griffith (trans.) (1895-6). Hymns of the Atharva Veda, pp. 236-7. Retrieved 19 Nov 2008 from "Sacred Texts" at http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av19031.htm.
- ^ McCullough, Helen Craig (1994). Genji and Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike. Stanford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 0804722587.
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External links
- "Ficus racemosa". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
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