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Figs • Family Moraceae / Genus Ficus |
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The genus Ficus, also known as
Figs, is a member of the diverse Mulberry family (Moraceae), and is one
of the largest genera of woody flowering plants with over 1,000
different species. It is rivalled in size by only a number of other
genera of trees and shrubs, such as Acacia (800), Eucalyptus (500), and
Cassia (500).
In Australia, the genus Ficusare found on both the northern and eastern sides
of Australia. As ‘epiphytes’ (a plant growing on another for support), Ficus are
primary hemiepiphytes, defined by canopy to floor growth. The seeds are
deposited by birds, flying foxes and other wildlife that live in the forest
canopy, it is here that they germinate, with the young figs sending roots down
to the forest floor, to anchor in the soil. After contact with this new source
of nutrients, the growth rate increases quickly. These prop roots thicken, in
many cases interlace, join and in the case of the ‘Strangler Fig’ gradually
strangle the host tree to death. |
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| ‘Strangler Fig’ is the common
name given to a group of figs that kill the host tree, eventually
leaving the fig to stand freely, and often with a hollow centre. The
process can take any where from 500 to 1,000 years. ‘Stranglers’ are
typically found in subtropical rainforest and lowland rainforest.
Strangler Figs play an essential role in the ecology of the rainforest. They
fruit year round, some known to fruit three times a year, and with certain
species fruiting at different times, providing food for many forest birds and
mammals. Ecologists refer to strangler figs as a ‘keystone species’, meaning it
is an ecosystem component that many species rely on for survival.
The name ‘Strangler Fig’ is usually applied to a group of species known under
the common name of the ‘Banyan Tree’.
Where can you see Strangler / Curtain Figs?
- World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, QLD
- Broadwater Park, located in the Abergowrie State Forest, QLD
- Toonumber National Park, near Kyogle, NSW
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Yungaburra, located in the Atherton Tablelands, QLD
- Atherton Tablelands just north of the town of Atherton itself.
- Near Mossman Gorge, QLD.
- Bunya Mts National Park, QLD.
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The Banyan (genus Ficus, subgenus
Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs that include:
- Ficus benghalensis
- Ficus microcarpa
- Ficus pertusa
- Ficus citrifolia
- Ficus aurea
- Ficus religiosa
- Ficus macrophylla
- Ficus rubiginosa
The Banyan is a large tree, whose figs are eaten by birds, flying
foxes and other wildlife living in the canopy. The seeds are dropped or
passed by the wildlife many of which land in the tree nooks and
crevasses. The seeds then germinates, starting its life as an
‘epiphytes’. The roots then descend down the trunk of the tree seeking
the ground below. Once it has rooted into the soil, the fig roots
rapidly thicken and lignify (meaning that it turns into wood through the
formation and deposit of lignin in the cell walls). Where the fig roots
cross each other they fuse, in effect, creating a lattice around the
host, enclosing it like a prison. The fig competes with its host for light,
water and nutrients, preventing it from growing, and sealing its fate.
The host eventually dies and rots away, providing additional nutrient
for the fig. Once the host has rotted away, all that is left is a
tubular lattice of lignified roots, instead of a trunk. It is for this
reason that banyans are often referred to as ‘strangler figs’. |
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| Similar to the Strangler Figs,
the Curtain Figs send roots to the forest floor, but in a particularly
dramatic type of growth, the host tree falls against another tree, which
enable the Curtain Fig to capture that tree with its roots. This can
happen several times, creating the ‘curtain’ effect with the roots. |
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The most famous avenue of figs in
Sydney, are those found in Hyde Park, which is known as the ‘Avenue
of Figs’
(Ficus microcarpa var hillii).
In recent times these trees have been removed after they were deemed
dangerous, due to infection by disease and fungi
Phellinus species, Phytophthora species
and Armillaria species.
More information can be found from the
City of
Sydney. |
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Scientific Name |
Common name |
Where Found |
| Ficus benjamina |
Weeping Fig
Benjamin's Fig |
Native to south and southeast
Asia, south to northern Australia. |
| Ficus brachypoda |
Rock Fig
Native Fig
Wild Fig
Desert Fig |
Australian bush food, native
to the arid and semi-arid region of Central Australia. It is a spreading
shrub or tree up to 8 m in height with smooth pale grey bark, and found
growing on or near rock. Usually a tree of the tropic, this species has
adapted to dry conditions and found in gorges and other sheltered areas.
The roots of the figs can penetrate half a kilometre into rock crevices
in search of moisture. |
| Ficus carica |
Common Fig |
Native to southwest Asia and
the eastern Mediterranean region. Grown in Australia for its edible
fruit. |
| Ficus citrifolia |
Strangler Fig |
Native to southern Florida,
the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. |
| Ficus coronata |
Sandpaper Fig |
Australian bush food, native
to eastern Australia in the subtropical rainforests of New South Wales
to the wet tropics of Northern Queensland. |
| Ficus microcarpa |
Chinese Banyan
Malayan Banyan
Bayan Tree
Strangler Fig |
Native from Ceylon to India,
southern China, the Malay Archipelago, the Ryūkyū Islands, Australia and
New Caledonia. |
| Ficus macrophylla |
Moreton Bay Fig (are also
banyan specie) |
Native of the eastern coast
from the Atherton Tableland, Queensland to the Illawarra, New South
Wales. |
| Ficus platypoda |
Desert Fig |
Australian bush food, native
to the arid and semi-arid region of Central Australia. |
| Ficus racemosa |
Cluster Fig |
Australian bush food, native
to the monsoonal zone of the Northern Territory, Cape York and Western
Australia. |
| Ficus rubiginosa |
Port Jackson Fig (also banyan
specie)
Little-leaf Fig
Rusty Fig |
Native of eastern Australia. |
| Ficus virens |
Curtain Fig (another type of
Strangler Fig) |
Subtropical rainforest
regions of north eastern New South Wales and the Atherton Tablelands,
Queensland. |
| Ficus watkinsiana |
Cathedral Tree (another type
of Strangler Fig)
Green-leaved Moreton Bay Fig* |
Occurs naturally from
Queensland, south to near Dungog in New South Wales. |
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Scientific
Classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| Division: |
Magnoliophyta |
| Class: |
Magnoliopsida |
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| Order: |
Rosales |
| Family: |
Moraceae |
| Genus |
Ficus |
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