The Wild Figs of Southern Africa by Jutta von Breitenbach

The Wild Figs of Southern Africa by Jutta von Breitenbach is an increasingly interesting specialist botanical monograph devoted to the indigenous wild figs of Southern Africa. Published by The Tree Society of Southern Africa in 1974, this is Monograph No. 2 and was reprinted from Trees in South Africa, Volume XXVI, Part 3, October–December 1974. The work comprises 28 pages and represents an important piece of twentieth-century Southern African botanical literature.

Von Breitenbach provides a focused study of the region’s Ficus species, a distinctive and ecologically important group of Southern African trees.The Wild Figs of Southern Africa combines botanical information with illustrations drawn by the author and photographs credited to F. von Breitenbach. Its specialised treatment makes it particularly appealing to botanists, dendrologists, indigenous-tree enthusiasts, conservationists and collectors of vintage Southern African natural-history publications.

Wild figs form a fascinating component of the Southern African flora, occurring across a variety of habitats and displaying considerable diversity in growth form, leaves and fruit. The Wild Figs of Southern Africa provides a period perspective on their identification and classification and remains of historical interest even where modern botanical taxonomy has subsequently developed. Later botanical literature continues to cite von Breitenbach’s 1974 work in discussions of Southern African Ficus.

Condition – Good 

Staple-bound softcover with light age-related wear, minor rubbing/marking and slight handling wear to the wrappers. Binding remains sound. Pages appear clean and well preserved overall.