Ficus is a pan-tropical genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Ficus occupies a wide variety of ecological niches; most are evergreen, but some deciduous species are endemic to areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations. Fig species are characterized by their unique inflorescence and distinctive pollination syndrome, which utilizes wasp species belonging to the Agaonidae family for pollination. The fruit of most species are edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

Ficus sansibarica commonly known as Angola Fig, Knob Fig, Knobbly Fig or Zanzibar Fig in English and Knoppiesvy in Afrikaans is an evergreen tree indigenous to South Africa with a provincial distribution that extends to Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Ficus sansibarica is a large tree with a spreading crown, up to 20 x 30 m. It may grow as an ordinary, stand-alone tree or a strangler; if it does that, it usually starts life in the branches of a host plant, sending down aerial roots that encircle the tree and finally kill it so that it stands alone. The knobbly fig produces a lot of figs which attracts a wide range of fruit-eating birds, fruit bats, baboons, monkeys, and insects as well as insectivorous birds which feed upon the wasps that pollinate the figs. It is frost-tender but drought-tolerant, and also makes a fine container subject for a warm patio or sunny room.