Common wild fig

The tree of the old royal courts – Rwandans once dressed in cloth made from umuvumu bark.

An evergreen fig of the mulberry family, growing to 15–20 m, with a dense, domed crown and smooth, grey bark. It roots easily from thick branches pushed into the ground, so it is traditionally planted as living fences and shade trees. Its small figs are food for birds and monkeys. The bark can be stripped without killing the tree – beaten with mallets, it turns into soft barkcloth.

Significance in the country

Umuvumu was planted by royal enclosures and at the sites of important events, so old trees still mark the former seats of rulers today; its bark was made into impuzu, the traditional garments Rwandans wore before the era of cotton cloth.

Where it grows

Throughout the country, mainly planted beside houses, homesteads and historic sites, including around the former royal capital of Nyanza in the Southern Province.

More: Wikipedia (en)