Kapiak

Description

Ficus dammaropsis, called kapiak in Tok Pisin, is a tropical fig tree with huge pleated leaves 60 cm (24 in) across. It is native to the highlands and highlands fringe of New Guinea. It generally grows at altitudes of between 850 and 2,750 metres (2,790 and 9,020 ft). Its fruit, the world's largest figs (syconia), are edible but rarely eaten except as an emergency food. They are pollinated by the tiny wasp Ceratosolon abnormis. The young leaves are pickled or cooked and eaten as a vegetable with pig meat by highlanders. The lowland form of this species found commonly below 900 meters is recognized as a distinct species, Ficus brusii.