<p><em>Ficus semicordata </em>(khanyu) is an important fodder tree in Nepal which exists as 2 main variants distinguished by farmers as khasro khanyu and rai khanyu; in the western and far western regions of the country khasro khanyu is further differentiated into packche khanyu or khaje khanyu (in which the fruits ripen to an edible form) and wackche khanyu, akhaje khanyu or ankha pacuwa (whose fruits cause vomiting in humans and are toxic to livestock). This monograph gives an account of the distribution, habitat, silvicultural characters, propagation and uses of the species in general, and describes its variation and taxonomic history, giving fine details of the analyses of herbarium samples, for which data are given on leaf size and characteristics, petiole length, inflorescence morphology and flower types. Differentiation of the main variants of <em>F. semicordata </em>is made using these data and the 2 main varieties are described, giving details of their ecology and distribution: <em>F. semicordata </em>var. <em>semicordata </em>(the main (typical) variant, vernacular name khasro khanyu); and <em>F. semicordata </em>var. <em>montana </em>(vernacular name rai khanyu). Further study is required on the fodder potential of the 2 varieties.</p>