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.

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

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

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