Ficus macrophylla

Read about Ficus macrophylla in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Ficus macrophylla, Desf. Moreton Bay Fio. Lvs. 6-10 in. long, 3-4 in. wide; stipules 2-4 in. long: fr. nearly globular, 9-12 lines thick, axillary, in 3's or 4's, on short, thick peduncles. Austral.—Much planted in S. and Cent. Calif., where, however, it ................seed. F. von Mueller says it is perhaps ......of Australian avenue trees. Ernest ........... for this species partial or perhaps ............from frost. He cites a specimen in ..........out after a heavy frost and is still.......more than a year has elapsed since ........ The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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Moreton Bay Fig

Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay Fig)

Plant Info

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Urticales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Species:	F. macrophylla

Binomial name

Ficus macrophylla
Desf. ex Pers.

The Moreton Bay Fig Ficus macrophylla, is a large evergreen Banyan. Named after Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia, it is a native of most of the eastern coast, from the Atherton Tableland in the north to the Illawarra in New South Wales.

Description

The Moreton Bay Fig grows to over 60 m (200 ft) tall in its native environment. It has large, elliptic, leathery, dark green leaves and produces a [barely] edible fruit similar to the common Fig, Ficus carica.

The characteristic "melting" appearance of the Moreton Bay fig is due to its habit of dropping Aerial roots from its branches which on reaching the ground thicken into supplementary trunks which help to support the great weight of its crown.

It is a rainforest plant and in this environment more often grows in the form of an Epiphytic strangler vine than that of a tree. When its seeds land in the branch of a host tree it sends aerial, 'strangler' roots down the host trunk, eventually killing the host and standing alone.

Its roots are surface feeding and it is therefore quite susceptible to the compacting of earth around its trunk, which is why in many parks and gardens these trees are fenced off. It is water hungry and like many Australian trees should not be planted in urban environments where its roots may damage piping, nor in areas where water is scarce.

A potentially invasive species

Ficus macrophylla is commonly cultivated in Hawaii and in northern New Zealand. In both places, it has now naturalised, having acquired its pollinating wasp (Pleistodontes froggatti). In Hawaii the wasp was deliberately introduced in 1921, and in New Zealand it was first recorded in 1993, having apparently arrived by long-distance dispersal from Australia. The arrival of the wasp led to prolific production of fruits containing many small seeds adapted for dispersal by birds. The Moreton Bay Fig has been found growing on both native and introduced trees in New Zealand and in Hawaii. The size and vigour of this fig in New Zealand, and its lack of natural enemies, as well as its immunity to possum browsing, indicate that it may be able to invade forest and other native plant communities. (Gardner and Early 1996; Starr et al., 2003).

References

George, A. S. Flora of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, 1980. ISBN 0-643-05702-1

Starr F, Starr K, and Loope L. Ficus macrophylla - Moreton bay fig - Moraceae United States Geological Survey--Biological Resources Division Haleakala Field Station, Maui, Hawai'i, 2003.