Ficus pseudopalma
Ficus pseudopalma is a species of fig, in the mulberry family. It is known by the common names Philippine fig, dracaena fig, and palm-leaf fig. In nature it is endemic to the Philippines, especially the island of Luzon. It is known elsewhere as an ornamental plant.
This is a shrub or rarely branching small tree growing erect with a naked unbranched mesocaul stem topped with a cluster of wavey-edged leaves to give it the appearance of a palm. Indeed, the species name pseudopalma means "false palm". The leaves are long and up to wide, with a yellow midrib and edged with dull teeth. The edges of the leaf are elevated above the midrib, forming a sort of trough. The fruit is a dark green fig that grows in pairs, each fruit diameter; it is edible but not very tasty.
In Luzon, this plant occurs in grassland and forest habitat, where it is considered common. The new shoots of the plant are eaten as a type of vegetable, and there are a number of traditional medicinal uses, such as a remedy for kidney stones made from the leaves. In Bicol Region the plant is known as Lubi-lubi and the leaves are cooked in coconut milk. In 2003 the leaves were sold in markets for US$0.74 per kilogram, and the plant can be grown in plantations without pesticides for an adequate profit.
This shrub has been used as a landscaping plant in Hawaii, but it never escaped cultivation or became established in the wild because the species of wasp that pollinates it was never brought to the islands.