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 trichopoda commonly known as Swamp Fig and Hippo Fig in English and Moerasvy in Afrikaans is an evergreen tree indigenous to South Africa with a provincial distribution which extends to KwaZulu-Natal. It is said to be the only indigenous fig species in the southern African region whose aerial roots develop into new stems like the banyan, Ficus benghalensis, of India. The swamp fig may grow as either a medium-sized tree or a shrub. The height is recorded as being between 12 and 25 m. It has a rounded, spreading crown and may spread further sideways (creating a grove) by sending down aerial roots which become new stems. The bark is mostly pale and smooth with some mottling. It becomes darker in older trees.