Moreton Bay Fig – Root & Branch Review

Moreton Bay Fig – Root & Branch Review

FICUS WATKINSIANA-MORETON BAY FIG

Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the Moraceae family. It shares the characteristics of most Fig trees.

Key Features of the Moreton Bay Fig

  • Latin name – Ficus macrophylla other common names Strangler tree
  • Height – a tall tree up to 150 feet high and often wider than high.
  • Type of tree – Evergreen
  • Leaves – Large, elliptical and leathery with dark green upper and rusty brown beneath.
  • Flowers – Tiny flowers enclosed in a fig receptical
  • Fruit – Fig ripening from green to purple
  • Bark – Smooth grey-brown
  • Family – Moraceae or Banyan

Origins and Distribution of the Moreton Bay Fig

  • Native to Eastern Australia.
  • It grows best in rainforest conditions.
  • This fig is cultivated in Hawaii where the pollinating wasp was deliberatly introduced and in northern New Zealand.

Moreton Bay Fig Tree

Uses and Attributes of the Moreton Bay Fig

  • A distinctive tree that has been cultivated to grow in parks and to grace avenues..
  • The soft light timber is used for cases.
  • Aborigines traditionally used the fibres for fishing nets.

Gardeners Root Tips for the Moreton Bay Fig

  • The tree germinates at the top of a host tree and drops aerial roots down to the ground.
  • It eventually kills the host tree by strangulation .
  • The tree grows a magnificent crown that is supported by a butress of roots which spread around the tree matching the crown.
  • The roots are surface feeding and water-hungry. When young it grows as an epiphyte
  • As with other figs it is pollinated by a specific species of wasp

19 Moreton Bay Fig Tree

Moreton Bay Fig comments from elsewhere

  • Named after Moreton bay in Queensland.
  • They are very thirsty trees and can be very invasive of domestic drainage systems. Not to be recommended on a suburban quarter acre block! lane reality Australia

Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Santa Barbara

Credits
FICUS WATKINSIANA-MORETON BAY FIG by YAZMDG CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
19 Moreton Bay Fig Tree by The City Project CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Santa Barbara by FarOutFlora CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Moreton Bay Fig Tree by ~PrescottCC BY-NC 2.0

 

One thought on “Moreton Bay Fig – Root & Branch Review

  1. Hey There Gardenerstips,
    I know what you mean, Looking for a picture of the moreton bay fig to purchase. Preferably black & white. Need to find a photographer who has taken pictures of the tree.
    BTW great blogpost

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