Ficus superba

Sea fig
Sea Fig in Japan
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Ficus
Subgenus: F. subg. Urostigma
Species:
F. superba
Binomial name
Ficus superba
Synonyms
  • Ficus petiolata Reinw. ex Miq.
  • Ficus tenuipes S.Moore
  • Ficus timorensis Decne.
  • Urostigma accedens Miq.
  • Urostigma superbum Miq.
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Ficus superba,[1] also known as sea fig or deciduous fig, is a hemiepiphytic tree of genus Ficus. It is one of the species known as banyans or "strangler figs" because of its potential to grow as a hemi-epiphyte and eventually progress to the strangling habit of species in this subgenus. It is, however, not an obligate hemi-epiphyte and can be found growing as single stemmed trees in forests. It is found in Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and China, as well as various parts of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Java, Kalimantan, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Moluccas, Seram Island, and Peninsular Malaysia. According to E.J.H. Corner, if this fig germinates in a boulder field its roots can extend "extraordinary distances, up to several hundred feet" over and between the rocks.[2]

  1. ^ Miquel FAW (1866) Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 200.
  2. ^ Corner, E.J.H. (1940). Wayside Trees of Malaya. Kuala Lumpur: Malayan Nature Society. pp. 527–529.