Wildflowers, Photos ... and Native Figs or Ficus

Adam and Eve were grateful for fig leaves. Their leaves probably came from the edible fig, Ficus carica a native of west Asia and the Mediterranean, one of the first plants to be cultivated by humans.

The genus Ficus, or Fig, belongs in the Mulberry family (Moraceae). It is one of the largest genera of woody flowering plants with about 800 different species distributed throughout India, parts of Asia, the Pacific islands and Australia.

There are about 40 Australian species of Fig, most of which are found in tropical and monsoonal areas.

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Australian Fig trees have tough leathery leaves, while some have a sandpaper like texture. The leaves and stems produce a sticky white sap when broken.

Many figs start off life as epiphytes, growing on the branches of mature trees but not relying on them for nutrients. The seeds of these figs are deposited by birds and animals high on the branches of rainforest trees. They germinate there and send aerial roots down towards the ground. When these roots reach the ground, they thicken and become woody, gradually enclosing the original tree and strangling it. The original tree eventually dies and rots away. Eventually a fig tree with a hollow trunk is formed. These figs are commonly called strangler figs, and are similar to banyans and curtain figs.

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This strangling process can take any where from 500 to 1,000 years. Strangler figs are typically found in rainforests where they play an essential role in the ecology of the rainforest. They fruit year round, with certain species fruiting at different times, providing food for many forest birds and mammals like flying foxes.

Figs do not have flowers in the conventional sense, for the tiny “flowers” (the reproductive parts) are hidden inside round receptacles that we normally recognize as the fig “fruit”.

Figs have a highly specific relationship with fig wasps: the tiny flowers of each species of fig are pollinated only by a particular species of fig wasp, while the wasps rely on the fig receptacle to reproduce inside.

To keep these wasps alive, the fruit of figs is produced all year round. This fruit in turn provides a regular food source for many animals in the rainforest. As well as providing fruits for generalist fruit eaters like bats and other small mammals, over 50 species of birds in Australia have been recorded feeding on fig fruits.

Some species of figs in the Australian rainforests have evolved the unusual habit of fruiting on the branches and the main trunk of the tree. The Cluster Fig, Ficus racemosa is so-called due to the often large clusters of fruit that appear on the main trunk and branches. They ripen from green to yellow to red and are quite tasty when ripe. This large tree is found along watercourses in the lowlands, as well across northern Australia and up into south-east Asia.

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Away from the rainforests, figs grow in desert areas in sheltered rocky gorges and on rocky cliffs. The Rock Fig, Ficus platypoda can be found growing in gorges and along rocky escarpments throughout Central Australia, northern parts of Western Australia, the Top End and outback Queensland, especially where there is water, even if it is deep underground.

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It has waxy oval evergreen leaves and grey bark and grows as a spreading shrub or tree up to 8 metres in height. The fruits are small and hard and remain on the tree for months before falling. The roots of these figs can penetrate deep into rock crevices in search of moisture.

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These figs in Central Australia were an important part of Aboriginal diet. The trees and where they grew were often regarded as sacred. The figs were eaten raw or dried and ground into a paste and eaten with water or honey. Early European settlers sometimes gathered the ripe red fruit to make jam.

Figs in Central Australia provide home for up to 14 species of land snails, an animal not commonly seen in the desert. Although Native Figs survive fires and regrow from existing roots, the snails are killed by fire and it may take hundreds of years for the snails to recolonise a burnt fig, even if there are snail populations at nearby figs.

All figs are edible although they may not be particularly palatable. Birds are quick to find the ripe fruit and ants are attracted to the sugar in the fruit, so before taking a bite its wise to check for other diners.

Cheers,

Val.