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Moreton Bay Fig

Moreton Bay Fig
Enlarge picture
Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay Fig)

Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay Fig)
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

Enlarge picture
A young Moreton Bay Fig starts life as an epiphyte in an Auckland, New Zealand park
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

Enlarge picture
Ficus macrophylla
Orto botanico di Palermo

External links

See also

Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Plantae
Haeckel, 1866[1]

Divisions

Green algae Land plants (embryophytes)
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Magnoliophyta

Classes

Magnoliopsida - Dicots
Liliopsida - Monocots

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms comprise the two extant groups of seed plants.
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Magnoliopsida

Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class of flowering plants. By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its can otherwise vary, being more inclusive or less inclusive depending upon the classification system being
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Urticales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. This order was recognized in many, perhaps even most, systems, with some variations in . Among these is the Cronquist system (1981), which placed the order in the subclass Hamamelidae [sic], as comprising :
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Moraceae
Link

Genera

See text.

Moraceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mulberry family. It comprises about 40 genera and over 1000 species of plants widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less common in temperate
..... Click the link for more information.
Ficus
L.

Species

see text

Figs, dried
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 0 kcal   0 kJ

Carbohydrates     64 g
- Sugars  48 g
- Dietary fiber  10 g  
Fat 1 g
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Ren̩ Louiche Desfontaines (February 14, 1750 РNovember 16 1833) was a French botanist.

Desfontaines was born near Tremblay in Brittany. He attended the Collège de Rennes and in 1773 went to Paris to study medicine.
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Christian Hendrik Persoon (February 1, 1761 - November 16, 1836) was a mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy.

Persoon was born in South Africa, of Dutch and German descent.
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banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis
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Moreton Bay is a large bay on the eastern coast of Australia 19 km from Brisbane, Queensland.

The Port of Brisbane coordinates large traffic along the shipping channel which crosses the northern waters of the bay.
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Queensland

Flag Coat of Arms
Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State
Motto(s): "Audax at Fidelis" (Bold but Faithful)

Other Australian states and territories
Capital Brisbane
Government Constitutional monarchy
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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming.
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Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and bounded Shoalhaven region in the south, and encompasses the city of Wollongong and Lake Illawarra.
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New South Wales

Flag Coat of Arms
Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State
Motto(s): "Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites"
(Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine)

Other Australian states and territories
Capital Sydney
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Ficus
L.

Species

see text

Figs, dried
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 0 kcal   0 kJ

Carbohydrates     64 g
- Sugars  48 g
- Dietary fiber  10 g  
Fat 1 g
..... Click the link for more information.
Aerial roots are roots that are aboveground. They are almost always adventitious. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes also known as air plants, which includes the orchids, tropical coastal swamp trees such as mangroves, the resourceful banyan tree, the
..... Click the link for more information.
epiphyte is an organism that grows upon or attached to a living plant. The term most commonly refers to higher plants, but epiphytic bacteria, fungi (epiphytic fungi), algae, lichens, mosses, and ferns exist as well.
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State of Hawaii
Mokuʻāina o Hawaiʻi

Flag of Hawaii Seal of Hawaii
Nickname(s): The Aloha State

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Anthem
"God Defend New Zealand"
"God Save the Queen" 1


Capital Wellington

Largest city Auckland
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T. vulpecula

Binomial name
Trichosurus vulpecula
(Kerr, 1792)

The Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula
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F. rubiginosa

Binomial name
Ficus rubiginosa
Desf. ex Vent.

The Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) , also known as the Little-leaf Fig or the Rusty Fig
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