Elephant ear fig

Elephant ear fig (Ficus auriculata), also called Roxburgh fig, is a small tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae), 5–15 m tall with a broad crown and white latex throughout. The leaves are very large, heart-shaped or nearly round, 15–55 cm across, alternate, with an entire or slightly toothed margin and a finely hairy underside — giving the ear-of-elephant look that is its hallmark. The fruit is a flattened syconium 3–7 cm across, borne in large clusters directly on the trunk and old branches and ripening red-brown, edible; it is pollinated by a specialised fig wasp. The species ranges from South Asia (India, Nepal) through southern China to Southeast Asia, growing along moist forest edges and streams.

Ripe vả figs are edible and sweet, but more commonly the unripe fruit and young leaves are used as a vegetable: pickled (vả muối), in salads and rolls, or cooked in soup with meat or fish. In folk medicine the fig is considered a galactagogue for nursing mothers, a laxative and a tonic; ripe fruit is rich in sugars, fibre and calcium. The tree prefers a warm, humid tropical climate and grows along forest edges, streams and moist fertile soil; it fruits almost year-round, peaking in the rainy season. The fruit feeds many birds, bats and small mammals, supporting biodiversity. In Vietnam, vả grows wild and is planted in many places for its unripe fruit and young leaves.