ID Unkown Fig Sydney Region [Solved]

[TimIAm]

Hi,

Not far from my house someone 100+ years ago must have been a Ficus fan and planted about a dozen different varieties. I'm quite confident I can ID them all, except for one.

It's definitely a fig because it has central, fig-style stipules and fruit. The outer bark is split in different places, which may be a result of lack of something as it's growing on the side of a hill (maybe lack of water, maybe lack of nutrients) and rather than being banyan-like its branching structure reminds me more of a Banksia; a 3m high tree with semi thick branches.

The photos I'm sharing are mainly to give you an idea of the fruit. In one picture is peach-coloured, which appear to grow on stems close to the stipule. I can't find any pics online of fig fruits with that same peach colour.

Mature fruit appears to have random bumps on the surface, which is common with some ficus.

NROP1943.JPG

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Appreciate any help or suggestions.

[melbrackstone]

Looks like Moreton Bay fig to me. Ficus macrophylla.

[TimIAm]

Ah, ok. The mature fruit definitely looks like MBF. The lack of a large trunk and the juvenile fruit threw me off, but I'm guess the structure is because it's clinging to a ledge rather than getting fat in the middle of park.

I'm pretty sure you're right.

[Miikeboyle]

I'd love to see a comparison between all the ficus species you have growing there.

[TimIAm]

Hi Miike,

I want to avoid embarrassing myself even more by calling them out but will try and get some pics up within the next 24 hours.

What I can see...

- F. Rubi
- F. Obl.
- F. Virens
- What I think is a F. Watkinsiana (or some other type of hemiepiphytic fig)
- Moreton Bay Fig
- Microcarpa
- What I think is a F. Rubi. Glavescens (loads of thin aerial roots hanging from the branches)
- F. Elastica

So, a lot of standard stuff, because that's what's around Sydney, but it was interesting to see them all along the same stretch of footpath. There are others that I can't pick, but as with this post, they might just be one of the above

I also saw a hemiepiphytic fig where the parent was just a stump. Parent was not a fig, the fig grew off to one side, but it's still standing. The fig fruit looks like some sort of F. Macrophylla.

I've gone a bit fig crazy at the moment, trying to head around to all of the local parks and see how many varieties I can spot and takes some pics of some cool looking trees. Good thing is most of them are fruiting at the moment, bad thing is I'm not very experienced and everything looks different

Had a good yarn with one of the bush regen guys yesterday, who had really good knowledge.

Cool looking surface roots -->

UYID9390.JPG

[Miikeboyle]

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Southern Sydney. I collected a bunch of ficus seeds a few years back so I have tons of figs growing. I am pretty new to identifying them so not exactly sure what is what. I'm pretty sure they are either Port Jackson's, Morten Bays or a mix of both.

[legoman_iac]

One of my favourite figs is in Centennial Park, I say figs, plural, as I believe there's one fig, growing out of the fork of another ... I haven't been past in a few years, and the street view is a bit hard to see it, but I recommend everyone passing by there to check it out, I find it fascinating to think "root over tree" like this exists where both trees look about the same age/size.

I've seen figs grow in brick walls, in palm trees, but this is the only "fig on fig" I've seen (if I'm right):

https://maps.app.goo.gl/k4z73mgen5xT1pJA8

- Daniel

[legoman_iac]

Just noticed the google map link looks down the road, you need to turn to face the park, tree on tree highlighted below:

fig_on_fig.jpg

[TimIAm]

@Legoman There's also one near Meadowbank train station. It's growing on a PJF. Guessing a fruit bat dropped the seed up there. I'm also guessing it's not uncommon in forests, but rare in urban environments considering what is needed to get a fig to have fertile fruit.

The photo below isn't much to look at, and you can't see the tree on street view because it's obscured by other trees. What you are looking at is the PJF the darker thicker trunk and the roots of the hemiepiphytic fig on the right.

The hemiepiphyte is so high up you can only just make out its leaves but its roots go all the way to the ground. Give it another 1000 years and it will overtake the host.

VNPC2587.JPG