Native tree of the month (part 2): Hagimit

Ficus minahassae (Teysm. And de Vriese) Miq.)

Physical Characteristics

Hagimit has a wide canopy. With stem more or less buttressed at the base, it grows to 15 meters or more in height. The branchlets are long and bristly hairy.

The leaves, which arise mainly from the ends of the twigs, are papery, flat, and covered with long reddish-brown hairs. The leaves are also about 10 to 20 centimeters long, with toothed margin.

The midrib has a pair of glands at the base.

The fruit is stalkless, small, and angularly egg-shaped with the narrower end at the base. It grows in small, nearly spherical heads or long, hanging branches, which grow in large numbers from the trunk and larger branches.

Locations

Hagimit is found in primary forests, mainly along the streams, at low and medium altitudes, throughout the Philippines.

Traditional Use

The leaves of the Hagimit tree are used to prevent rheumatism and the sap is used as a beverage. Reddish color of the bark extract suggests astringent properties and is used to treat kidney ailment.

Contemporary Use

Fruits of the Hagimit tree are eaten raw while freshly cut stem gives water for drinking.

How to plant your Hagimit seedling

Clear the area where you want to plant your seedling with unwanted weeds and debris. Make sure that a one-meter radius is kept free from other vegetation. Dig a plant hole with dimensions of at least 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. Plant the seedling at proper depth. Root collar should be at level with or a little below the ground surface with the seedling oriented upward. Fill the hole with top or garden soil and press soil firmly around the base of the seedling. In plantation-making, seedlings should maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your Hagimit seedling

Remove grass and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50 cm radius) once in every quarter for two to three years. Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50 cm radius and using cut grass, leaves and other suitable materials as mulch base). Prune the branches at most 50 percent of the crown depth, preferably during dry season, and ensure that when pruning, you do not injure the bark.

     Remove infected or infested vegetation nearby to stop plant diseases from spreading and contaminating your seedling. Monitor regularly the growth of the seedling for presence of pests and diseases.

Data about native tree species are featured by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

For suggestions, email [email protected]. (FREEMAN)