Ficus fatua
Ficus fatua dicitur grece sicomorus arabice vero iumaiz.
Apparatus:
sicomorus ABCD f | siccomorbus e
iumeiz B | Jumaiʒ ef | iumaim ACD {"elongated z" misinterpreted as "sideways m"}
Translation:
Ficus fatua {"sycamore fig"} is what the Greeks call sicomorus, and in Arabic it is called iumaiz.
Commentary:
Ficus fatua according to André (1956: 137), translates as «figue fade», i.e. "insipid fig", and it is the fruit of Ficus sycomorus L. the "sycamore-fig" [[1]], [[2]]. F. sycomorus, a member of the mainly tropical genus Ficus, is related to - though different from - Ficus carica L., the "common fig" [[3]], the fruits of the latter being superior to the sycamore-fig’s in taste and sugar content, hence its name "fatua", meaning i.a. ; "tasteless, insipid". In ancient times F. sycomorus was primarily a food for the poor.
Greek συκόμορος /sykómoros/ is F. sycomorus L.
Arabic: Wehr (1976): ﺟﻤﻴﺯ /ğummaiz/ "sycamore (Ficus sycomorus; bot.)".
See also: Sicomorus, Iumeiz, Ficus Faraonis
WilfGunther 17/11/13
