Ficus natalensis

Names

English: bark-cloth fig

Luganda: mutuba

Kiswahili: mchamwa, mrumbapori

Fodder characteristics

Palatability: Very good for goats and cows.

Nutritional value: Unknown, but rumen-digestibility is probably high, on the evidence below.

Safety: Despite very intensive use of this tree, only one incident was encountered - bloat in a young goat that had fed exclusively on mutuba. Care should be taken over identity (see comments).

Other characteristics/uses

Agroforestry: Suitable for interspersing in coffee and banana plantations - provides light shade and does not compete for water. Banana plants under mutuba do better in the dry season than exposed plants. Used for live fence-posts because it grows very readily from cuttings.

The bark is harvested to make traditional bark cloth.

Comments

In some literature Ficus natalensis is considered a sub-species of F Thonningii.

Very easy to establish in Central Uganda, but it does not do as well on black cotton soils or where there is a long dry season.

The local name, mutuba, is used for several other species of small-leaved ficus. Some of the other species are less palatable to goats, and although no cases of poisoning have been encountered, they should be used with caution.