View source for Ficus macrophylla

{{short description|Species of banyan tree}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Speciesbox
 | name              = Moreton Bay fig
 | image             = Moretonbayfigfrom1850.JPG
 | image_caption     = A specimen at [[The Domain, Sydney]], planted in 1850
 | image2            = Starr 000501-1307 Ficus macrophylla.jpg
 | image2_caption    = Fruit and leaves, photographed on [[Maui]], [[Hawaii]]
 | status            = LC
 | status_system     = IUCN3.1
 | status_ref        = <ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=Oldfield, S. |year=2023 |title=''Ficus macrophylla'' |volume=2023 |page=e.T223532374A223592116 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T223532374A223592116.en |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
 | genus             = Ficus
 | parent            = Ficus subg. Urostigma
 | species           = macrophylla
 | authority         = [[René Louiche Desfontaines|Desf.]] ex [[Christian Hendrik Persoon|Pers.]]<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60458501-2 |title=''Ficus macrophylla'' Pers. |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |year=2025 |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
 | range_map         = Ficusmacrophyllargemap.png
 | range_map_caption = Natural range in Eastern Australia (in green)
 | synonyms          = 
*''Ficus huegelii'' <small>[[Carl Sigismund Kunth|Kunth]] & [[Carl David Bouché|C.D.Bouche]]</small>
*''Ficus magnolioides'' <small>[[Antonino Borzì]]</small><ref name=fici96/>
}}

'''''Ficus macrophylla''''', commonly known as the '''Moreton Bay fig''' or '''Australian banyan''', is a large evergreen [[banyan]] tree of the mulberry and fig family [[Moraceae]]. It is native to eastern Australia, from the [[Wide Bay–Burnett]] region of Queensland in the north to the [[Illawarra]] region of New South Wales. The [[Infraspecific name|infraspecies]] ''Ficus macrophylla'' f. ''columnaris'' is endemic to [[Lord Howe Island]]. Its common name refers to [[Moreton Bay]] in Queensland. It is best known for its imposing [[buttress roots]].

''Ficus macrophylla'' is called a [[strangler fig]] because seed germination usually takes place in the canopy of a [[host (biology)|host]] tree, where the seedling lives as an [[epiphyte]] until its roots establish contact with the ground, when it enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a freestanding tree by itself. Individuals may reach {{convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height, with crown spreads as great as {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=off}} being reported. The greatest exact height to be reported is {{convert|232|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref>{{ cite book | last= Condit | first= Ira | date= | title= Ficus - The Exotic Species | location= Davis, California | publisher= University of California Press |pages= 124–125}}</ref> It has an obligate [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualism]] with [[fig wasp]]s; figs are pollinated only by fig wasps, and fig wasps can reproduce only in fig flowers. The wasp partner of the Moreton Bay Fig is ''Pleistodontes froggattii''. Many species of birds, including pigeons, parrots, and various passerines, eat the fruit.

''Ficus macrophylla'' is widely used as a feature tree in public parks and gardens in warmer climates such as California, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, northern New Zealand (Auckland), and Australia. Old specimens can reach tremendous size, and their aggressive root system renders them unsuitable for all but the largest private gardens.

==Description==
''Ficus macrophylla'' is an [[evergreen]] tree that can reach heights of {{convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name = Starr2003>{{cite web | last1=Starr | first1= Forest| last2=Starr|first2= Kim | last3= Loope | first3= Lloyd | url=http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/reports/pdf/ficus_macrophylla.pdf | title=''Ficus macrophylla'' – Moreton bay fig – Moraceae | publisher= United States Geological Survey—Biological Resources Division | location=Haleakala Field Station, Maui, Hawai'i | year= 2003| access-date=20 April 2018}}</ref> The trunk can be massive, with thick, prominent [[buttress root|buttressing]], and reach a diameter of {{convert|2.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Floyd09"/> The rough bark is grey-brown,<ref name=Hallstreet>{{cite book|title=A Field Guide to Australian Trees |last=Holliday |first=Ivan |year=1989 |publisher=Hamlyn Australia |location=Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=978-0-947334-08-6 |page=198}}</ref> and marked with various blemishes.<ref name=Fairley/> The Lord Howe form of Moreton Bay fig has a habit of dropping [[aerial root]]s from its branches, which upon reaching the ground, thicken into supplementary trunks which help to support the weight of its crown.<ref name="nsw flora">{{cite web|last1=Harden|first1=Gwen J.|title=Ficus macrophylla Desf. ex Pers.|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Ficus~macrophylla|website=New South Wales Flora online|publisher=NSW Herbarium|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> The largest specimen of the Lord Howe Island subspecies, around the year 1900, covered {{convert|7|acre|ha|abbr=off|spell=in}} of ground.<ref>{{cite book | last= anonymous | date= 1912 |  title=New Practical Reference Library _ article "banyan" |  location= Kansas City | publisher= Robert W. Fowler, publisher | page= <unpaginated>}}</ref>  The largest specimen of the mainland subspecies reported in a credible source was one reported by forester C.E. Pemberton which was {{convert|232|ft|m|abbr=off}} in height and {{convert|101|ft|m|abbr=off}} to the first branch.<ref>Condit, Ira, "Ficus - The Exotic Species" Univ. of California page 115</ref>

The leaves and branches bleed a milky sap if cut or broken. The figs are {{convert|2|–|2.5|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} in diameter, turning from green to purple with lighter spots as they ripen;<ref name = Starr2003/> ripe fruit may be found year-round,<ref name=Fairley/> although they are more abundant from February to May.<ref name="Floyd09"/> It is a rainforest plant and in this environment more often grows in the form of an [[epiphyte|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.<ref name="Floyd09"/> It is [[monoecious]]: each tree bears functional male and female flowers.<ref name = Dixon2003/> As indicated by its specific epithet, it has large, elliptic, leathery, dark green leaves, {{convert|15|-|30|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} long, and they are [[phyllotaxis|arranged alternately]] on the stems. The fruit is known as a [[syconium]], an inverted inflorescence with the flowers lining an internal cavity.

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Ficus Macrophylla - The domain - Sydney 2024.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Ficus macrophylla in The Domain, Sydney. 2024]]

South African botanist [[Christiaan Hendrik Persoon]] published a formal [[species description|description]] of the Moreton Bay fig in his 1807 work ''Synopsis Plantarum'',<ref>{{cite book | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/235943 | page=609 | language=la | first=Christiaan Hendrik | last= Persoon | title = Synopsis plantarum, seu Enchiridium botanicum, complectens enumerationem systematicam specierum hucusque cognitarum | volume=2 | year=1807 | publisher=C.F. Cramerum | location=Paris, France}}</ref> the material having been reported by French botanist [[René Louiche Desfontaines]] in 1804.<ref>{{cite book | last=Desfontaines | first= René Louiche | language=fr | year=1804 | title= Tableau de l'Ecole de Botanique du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle | volume=1–2 | page= 209 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13714893}}</ref> The type specimen has been lost but was possibly located in Florence.<ref name=dixon01>{{cite journal|last=Dixon|first=Dale J.|year=2001|title=Figs, wasps and species concepts: a re-evaluation of the infraspecific taxa of ''Ficus macrophylla'' (Moraceae: ''Urostigma'' sect. ''Malvanthera'')|journal=Australian Systematic Botany|volume=14|issue=1|pages=125–32|doi=10.1071/SB99026 }}</ref> The [[Specific epithet (botany)|specific epithet]] ''macrophylla'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] ''makros'' "large" and ''phyllon'' "leaf",<ref name=Liddell1980>{{cite book |author1= Liddell, Henry George |author2-link=Robert Scott (philologist) |author2=Scott, Robert | year = 1980 | title = A Greek-English Lexicon |edition=Abridged | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | location = Oxford, United Kingdom | isbn =978-0-19-910207-5| title-link = A Greek-English Lexicon |author1-link=Henry George Liddell }}</ref> and refers to the size of the leaves.<ref name="Floyd09"/> In the early 19th century, Italian botanist [[Vincenzo Tineo]] of the [[Orto botanico di Palermo]] in Sicily obtained a plant from a French nursery that grew to a prodigious size with a [[banyan]] habit. This form was propagated and grown in gardens around Sicily. A later director of the gardens, [[Antonino Borzì]], described it as ''Ficus magnolioides'' in 1897, distinguishing it from ''F. macrophylla'' on account of its larger leaves with greener undersides. This name was widely used in Europe.<ref name=fici96>{{cite journal | journal=Curtis's Botanical Magazine | title= On the real identity of ''Ficus magnolioides'' | first1=Silvio | last1=Fici | first2=Francesco Maria | last2=Raimondo | volume=13|issue=2 | year=1996 | pages =105–07 | doi= 10.1111/j.1467-8748.1996.tb00549.x}}</ref>

Australian botanist [[Charles Moore (botanist)|Charles Moore]] described ''Ficus columnaris'' in 1870 from material collected from [[Lord Howe Island]], choosing the species name from the [[Latin]] ''columnaris'' for the column-like roots.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27155563 | journal = Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh|first=Charles | last= Moore | year=1870 | volume= 10 | issue = 1–4| pages= 365–71 | title= Sketch of the botany of Lord Howe's Island | doi = 10.1080/03746607009468716}}</ref> English botanist [[E. J. H. Corner]] reduced this to synonymy with ''F. macrophylla'' in 1965, before P. S. Green noted it was distinct enough for subspecies status in 1986. Australian botanist Dale J. Dixon reviewed material and felt the differences too minor to warrant subspecific status,<ref name=dixon01/> and recognised two [[Form (botany)|forms]]: ''Ficus macrophylla'' f. ''macrophylla'', a free-standing tree [[endemism|endemic]] to mainland Australia; and ''Ficus macrophylla'' f. ''columnaris'', a [[hemiepiphyte]] lacking a distinct main trunk and endemic to Lord Howe Island.<ref name=Dixon2003>{{cite journal|last=Dixon |first=Dale J. |year=2003 |title=A taxonomic revision of the Australian ''Ficus'' species in the section ''Malvanthera'' (''Ficus'' subg. ''Urostigma'': Moraceae) |journal=Telopea |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=125–53 | doi=10.7751/telopea20035611 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242385833|doi-access=free }}</ref> Review of ''F. magnolioides'' by Silvio Fici and Francesco Maria Raimondo found that it was ''F. macrophylla'' f. ''columnaris''.<ref name=fici96/>

The species is [[common name|commonly]] known as the Moreton Bay fig,<ref name="Floyd09"/> after Moreton Bay in southern Queensland, although it is found elsewhere. An alternate name—black fig—is derived from the dark colour of the ageing bark.<ref>{{cite book |title=Rainforest to Bonsai |last=Webber |first=Len |year=1991 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location=East Roseville, New South Wales |isbn=978-0-7318-0237-1 |page=105}}</ref>

With over 750 species, ''[[Ficus]]'' is one of the largest [[angiosperm]] genera.<ref name = Frodin1994>{{cite journal | last = Frodin | first = David G. | year = 2004 | title = History and concepts of big plant genera | journal = Taxon | volume = 53 | issue = 3 | pages = 753–76 | doi = 10.2307/4135449 | jstor = 4135449}}</ref> Based on [[morphology (biology)|morphology]], Corner divided the genus into four [[subgenus|subgenera]];<ref name = Dixon2003/> later expanded to six.<ref name = Ronsted2008a>{{cite journal | last1 = Rønsted | first1 = Nina | last2 = Weiblen | first2 = George D. |last3 = Clement | first3 = W. L. | last4 = Zerega | first4 = N. J. C. |last5 = Savolainen |first5 = V. | year = 2008 | title = Reconstructing the phylogeny of figs (Ficus, Moraceae) to reveal the history of the fig pollination mutualism | journal = Symbiosis | volume = 45 | issue = 1–3 | pages = 45–56 | url = http://geo.cbs.umn.edu/RonstedEtAl2008a.pdf }}</ref> In this classification, the Moreton Bay fig was placed in [[subseries]] ''Malvanthereae'', [[series (botany)|series]] ''Malvanthereae'', [[section (botany)|section]] ''Malvanthera'' of the subgenus ''[[Urostigma]]''.<ref name = Ronsted2008b>{{cite journal | last1 = Rønsted | first1 = Nina | last2 = Weiblen | first2 = George D. | last3 = Savolainen | first3 = V | last4= Cook | first4 = James M. | year = 2008 | title = Phylogeny, biogeography, and ecology of ''Ficus'' section ''Malvanthera'' (Moraceae) | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 48 | issue = 1 | pages = 12–22 | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2008.04.005 | url = http://geo.cbs.umn.edu/RonstedEtAl2008b.pdf | pmid = 18490180 }}</ref> In his reclassification of the Australian ''Malvanthera'', Dixon altered the delimitations of the series within the section but left this species in series ''Malvanthereae''.<ref name = Dixon2003/>

In 2005, Dutch botanist [[Cornelis Christiaan Berg|Cornelis Berg]] completed Corner's treatment of the [[Moraceae]] for the ''Flora Malesiana''; the completion of that work had been delayed since 1972 as a result of disagreements between Corner and C. J. J. G. van Steenis, editor of the ''Flora Malesiana''.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Weiblen | first1 = G. D. |first2=W. L. |last2= Clement | year = 2007 | title = Flora Malesiana. Series I. Volume 17 parts 1 & 2 | journal = Edinburgh Journal of Botany | volume = 64 | issue = 3 | pages = 431–37 | doi = 10.1017/S0960428607064311 | url = http://geo.cbs.umn.edu/Weiblen&Clement2007.pdf }}</ref> Berg combined sections ''Stilpnophyllum'' and ''Malvanthera'' into an expanded section ''Stilpnophyllum''. This left the Moreton Bay fig in subsection ''Malvanthera'', section ''Stilpnophyllum''.<ref name = Ronsted2008b/>

In a 2008 study on DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal [[internal transcribed spacer|internal]] and [[external transcribed spacer]]s, Danish botanist [[Nina Rønsted]] and colleagues rejected previous subdivisions of the ''Malvanthera''. Instead, they divided section ''Malvanthera'' into three subsections—''Malvantherae'', ''Platypodeae,'' and ''Hesperidiiformes''. In this system, the Moreton Bay fig is in the subsection ''Malvantherae'', along with ''[[Ficus pleurocarpa|F. pleurocarpa]]''. The ''Malvantherae'' appear to be [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] (an early offshoot) to the group. ''F. macrophylla'' form ''macrophylla'' is native to mainland Australia, while form ''columnaris'' of ''macrophylla'' colonised Lord Howe Island.<ref name = Ronsted2008b/> The section ''Malvanthera'' itself is thought to have evolved 41 million years ago and radiated around 35 million years ago.<ref name = Ronsted2008a/><!-- cites 3 previous sentences -->

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Ficus macrophylla - Alstonville.jpg|thumb|Emergent Moreton Bay fig ''[[in situ]]'', estimated 50 metres tall, [[Davis Scrub Nature Reserve]], [[Australia]]]]
The Moreton Bay fig is a native of eastern coastal Australia, from the [[Wide Bay–Burnett]] region in central Queensland,<ref name=dixon01/> to the [[Shoalhaven River]] on the [[New South Wales]] south coast.<ref name=Fairley>{{cite book |first1=Alan | last1=Fairley |last2=Moore |first2=Philip |title=Native Plants of the Sydney District: An Identification Guide |year=2000 |edition= 2nd|publisher=Kangaroo Press |page=62|location=Kenthurst, New South Wales |isbn=978-0-7318-1031-4}}</ref> It is found in subtropical, warm temperate, and dry rainforest,<ref name="Boland">{{cite book|author1=Boland, Douglas J. |author2=Brooker, M. I. H. |author3=Chippendale, G. M. |author4=McDonald, Maurice William |title=Forest Trees of Australia |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |location=Collingwood, Victoria |year=2006 |pages=193–95 |isbn=978-0-643-06969-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2v3kb9tFsYC&pg=PA194}}</ref> where, as an [[Rainforest#Emergent layer|emergent]] tree, its crown may tower above the canopy,<ref name=Fairley/> particularly along watercourses on [[Alluvium|alluvial]] soils. In the Sydney region, ''F. macrophylla'' grows from sea level to {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=off}} altitude, in areas with an average yearly rainfall of {{convert|1200-1800|mm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=Benson1997/>

It often grows with trees such as white booyong (''[[Argyrodendron trifoliolatum]]''), ''[[Flindersia]]'' species, giant stinging tree (''[[Dendrocnide excelsa]]''), lacebark (''[[Brachychiton discolor]]''), red cedar (''[[Toona ciliata]]''), hoop pine (''[[Araucaria cunninghamii]]''), green-leaved fig (''[[Ficus watkinsiana]]'') and ''[[Cryptocarya obovata]]''.<ref name="Boland"/> The soils it grows on are high in nutrients and include Bumbo [[Latite]] and [[Budgong Sandstone]].<ref name=Benson1997>{{cite journal |author1=Benson, Doug |author2=McDougall, Lyn |year=1997 |title=Ecology of Sydney Plant Species Part 5: Dicotyledon Families Flacourtiaceae to Myrsinaceae |journal=Cunninghamia |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=330–544 [523] |url=https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/RoyalBotanicGarden/media/RBG/Science/Cunninghamia/Volume%205%20-%201997/Volume-5(2)-1997-Cun5Ben330-544.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223140112/https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/RoyalBotanicGarden/media/RBG/Science/Cunninghamia/Volume%205%20-%201997/Volume-5%282%29-1997-Cun5Ben330-544.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2015 }}</ref> As rainforests were cleared, isolated specimens were left standing in fields as remnant trees,<ref name=fuller/> valued for their shade and shelter for livestock.<ref name=EJ15>{{cite book |author1=Elliot, Rodger W. |author2=Jones, David L. |author3=Blake, Trevor |title=Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation: Volume 4 (Eu-Go)|year=1986|pages=280, 286 |publisher=Lothian Press |location=Port Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=978-0-85091-589-1}}</ref> One such tree was a landmark for and gave its name to the [[Wollongong]] suburb of [[Figtree, New South Wales|Figtree]] in New South Wales.<ref name=fuller>{{cite book|last=Fuller|first=Leon|title=Wollongong's Native Trees|publisher=Weston & Co.|location=Kiama, New South Wales|year=1980|isbn=978-0-9594711-0-6|pages=218–19}}</ref>
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==Ecology==
[[File:San Diego, CA USA - Balboa Park - panoramio (6).jpg|thumb|Large [[Moreton Bay fig (Balboa Park)|Moreton Bay fig]] tree in [[Balboa Park, San Diego]]]]
The huge numbers of fruit produced by the Moreton Bay fig make it a key source of food in the rainforest.<ref name=EJ15/> It is an important food to the [[green catbird]] (''Ailuroedus crassirostris''),<ref name = Innis92>{{cite journal | last1 = Innis | first1 = Gary John| last2=McEvoy | first2=Jim | year = 1992| title = Feeding ecology of green catbirds (''Ailuroedus crassirostris'') in subtropical rainforests of south-eastern Queensland | journal = Wildlife Research| volume = 19| pages = 317–29 | doi = 10.1071/WR9920317 | issue = 3}}</ref> as well as fruit-eating pigeons such as the [[wompoo fruit-dove]] (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), and [[topknot pigeon]] (''Lopholaimus antarcticus''), and a sometime food of the [[rose-crowned fruit-dove]] (''Ptilinopus regina'').<ref name = Innis89>{{cite journal | last = Innis | first = Gary John| year = 1989| title = Feeding Ecology of Fruit Pigeons in Subtropical Rainforests of Southeast Queensland| journal = Australian Wildlife Research| volume = 16| pages = 365–94 | doi = 10.1071/WR9890365 | issue = 4}}</ref> Other bird species that eat the fruit include the [[yellow-eyed cuckoo-shrike]] (''Coracina lineata''), [[pied currawong]] (''Strepera graculina''), [[Australasian figbird]] (''Sphecotheres vieilloti''), [[Regent bowerbird]] (''Sericulus chrysocephalus''), [[satin bowerbird]] (''Ptilonorhynchus violaceus''), and [[Lewin's honeyeater]] (''Meliphaga lewinii'').<ref name="Floyd09">{{cite book|last=Floyd|first=Alex G.|title=Rainforest Trees of Mainland Southeastern Australia|publisher=Terania Rainforest Publishing|location=Lismore, New South Wales|year=2009|pages=231–32|isbn=978-0-9589436-7-3}}</ref> [[Megabats|Fruit bats]] such as the [[grey-headed flying-fox]] (''Pteropus poliocephalus'') also feed on the fruit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sydneybats.org.au/cms/index.php?id=11,60,0,0,1,0 |title=Diet Species of the Grey-headed Flying-fox in the Sydney Region |last=Eby. |first=P. |publisher=Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society Inc. |access-date=3 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914220519/http://www.sydneybats.org.au/cms/index.php?id=11%2C60%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0 |archive-date=14 September 2009 }}</ref> As well as the pollinating [[fig wasp]], ''[[Pleistodontes froggatti]]'', [[syconium|syconia]] of the Moreton Bay fig are host to several species of non-pollinating [[chalcid wasp|chalcidoid wasps]] including ''[[Sycoscapter australis]]'' ([[Pteromalidae]]), ''[[Eukobelea hallami]]'' ([[Sycophaginae]]), and ''[[Meselatus]]'' sp. ([[Epichrysomallinae]]).<ref name = Bean2001>{{cite journal | last1 = Bean | first1 = Daniel | last2 = Cook | first2 = James M. | year = 2001 | title = Male mating tactics and lethal combat in the nonpollinating fig wasp ''Sycoscapter australis'' | journal = Animal Behaviour | volume = 62 | issue = 3 | pages = 535–42 | doi = 10.1006/anbe.2001.1779 | s2cid = 53202910 }}</ref> The [[nematode]] species ''[[Schistonchus macrophylla]]'' and ''[[Schistonchus altermacrophylla]]'' are found in the syconia, where they parasitise ''P. froggattii''.<ref>{{cite journal | first1=Janine | last1= Lloyd | first2= Kerrie A. | last2=Davies | year= 1997| title= Two new species of ''Schistonchus'' (Tylenchida: Aphelenchoididae) associated with ''Ficus macrophylla'' from Australia | journal=Fundamental and Applied Nematology| volume= 20| issue=1| pages=79–86 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260980685 }}</ref>

The [[thrips]] species ''[[Gynaikothrips australis]]'' feeds on the underside of new leaves of ''F. macrophylla'', as well as those of ''F. rubiginosa'' and ''F. obliqua''. As plant cells die, nearby cells are induced into forming [[meristem]] tissue and a [[gall]] results and the leaves become distorted and curl over.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tree|first=Desley J.|last2=Walter|first2=G. H.|date=2009|title=Diversity of host plant relationships and leaf galling behaviours within a small genus of thrips –Gynaikothrips and Ficus in south east Queensland, Australia|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-6055.2009.00706.x|journal=Australian Journal of Entomology|language=en|volume=48|issue=4|pages=269–275|doi=10.1111/j.1440-6055.2009.00706.x|issn=1440-6055|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The thrips begin feeding when the tree has flushes of new growth, and the life cycle is around six weeks. At other times, thrips reside on old leaves without feeding. The species pupates sheltered in the bark. The thrips remain in the galls at night and wander about in the daytime and return in the evening, possibly to different galls about the tree.<ref name="tree09">{{cite journal|title=Diversity of host plant relationships and leaf galling behaviours within a small genus of thrips –''Gynaikothrips'' and ''Ficus'' in south east Queensland, Australia|author1=Tree, Desley J |author2=Walter, G. H. |journal=Australian Journal of Entomology |volume=48| issue=4 | pages=269–75|year=2009|doi=10.1111/j.1440-6055.2009.00706.x}}</ref>

Stressed trees can also be attacked by [[psyllids]] to the point of defoliation. Grubs hatch from eggs laid on the edges of leaves and burrow into the leaf to suck nutrients, the tree's latex shielding the insect.<ref name=Benson1997/> Caterpillars of the moth species ''[[Lactura caminaea]]'' ([[Lacturidae]]) can strip trees of their leaves.<ref name=Benson1997/> The tree is also a host for the [[longhorn beetle]] (Cerambycidae) species ''[[Agrianome spinicollis]]''.<ref name=Benson1997/> The fungal pathogen brown root rot (''[[Phellinus noxius]]'') has infected and killed this species.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.northerntreecare.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Brown-Root-Rot.pdf | title=Brown Root Rot | first=Peter | last=Gray | date=2017 | access-date=20 April 2018 | archive-date=17 March 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317161005/http://www.northerntreecare.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Brown-Root-Rot.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Reproduction and life span===
[[File:Pleistodontes froggatti female.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Pleistodontes froggatti]]'', the [[fig wasp]] that pollinates the Moreton Bay fig]]
Figs have an obligate [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualism]] with fig wasps (Agaonidae); figs are pollinated only by fig wasps, and fig wasps can reproduce only in fig flowers. Generally, each fig species depends on a single species of wasp for pollination. The wasps are similarly dependent on their fig species to reproduce. The mainland and Lord Howe populations of the Moreton Bay fig are both pollinated by ''[[Pleistodontes froggatti]]''.<ref name=dixon01/><ref name = Vaamonde2002>{{cite journal | last = Lopez-Vaamonde | first = Carlos |author2=Dale J. Dixon |author3=James M. Cook |author4=Jean-Yves Rasplus | year = 2002 | title = Revision of the Australian species of ''Pleistodontes'' (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) fig-pollinating wasps and their host-plant associations | journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 136 | issue = 4 | pages = 637–83 | doi = 10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00040.x | doi-access = free }}</ref>

As is the case with all figs, the fruit is an inverted [[inflorescence]] known as a [[syconium]], with tiny flowers arising from the inner surface.<ref name=Fairley/> ''Ficus macrophylla'' is [[Plant reproductive morphology#Terminology|monoecious]]—both male and female flowers are found on the same plant, and, in fact, in the same fruit, although they mature at different times. Female wasps enter the syconium and lay eggs in the female flowers as they mature. These eggs later hatch and the progeny mate. The females of the new generation collect pollen from the male flowers, which have matured by this point, and leave to visit other syconia and repeat the process. A field study in Brisbane found that ''F. macrophylla'' trees often bore both male and female syconia at the same time—which could be beneficial for reproduction in small, isolated populations such as those on islands. The same study found that male phase syconia development persisted through the winter, showing that its wasp pollinator tolerated cooler weather than those of more tropical fig species. ''F. macrophylla'' itself can endure cooler climates than other fig species.<ref name=mcpherson05>{{Cite journal | last1 = McPherson | first1 = John R. | title = Phenology of Six ''Ficus'' L., Moraceae, Species and its Effects on Pollinator Survival, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | doi = 10.1111/j.1745-5871.2005.00329.x | journal = Geographical Research | volume = 43 | issue = 3 | pages = 297–305 | year = 2005 }}</ref> Moreton Bay fig trees live for over 100 years in the wild.<ref name=Benson1997/>

===Potentially invasive species===
[[File:MoretonBayNaturalisedNZ.jpg|thumb|right|A young Moreton Bay fig starts life as an epiphyte in an [[Auckland]], New Zealand, park]]
''Ficus macrophylla'' is commonly cultivated in [[Hawaii]] and northern [[New Zealand]]. In both places, it has now [[Introduced species|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 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 Hawaii. The size and vigour of this fig in New Zealand, and its lack of natural enemies, as well as its immunity to [[common brushtail possum|possum]] browsing, indicate that it may be able to invade forest and other native plant communities.<ref name = Starr2003/><ref name=Gardner1996>{{cite journal | last = Gardner | first = Rhys O. | author2 = John W. Early | year = 1996 | title = The naturalisation of banyan figs (''Ficus'' spp., Moraceae) and their pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) in New Zealand | journal = New Zealand Journal of Botany | volume = 34 | pages = 103–10 | url = http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjb/1996/115.php | doi = 10.1080/0028825x.1996.10412697 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080719032605/http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjb/1996/115.php | archive-date = 19 July 2008 }}</ref> Occasional [[garden escape]]es have been recorded in Turkey.<ref>{{cite journal | title= Alien flora of Turkey: checklist, taxonomic composition and ecological attributes | first1=Ahmet |last1= Uludag| first2= Necmi |last2= Aksoy| first3= Ayşe |last3=Yazlık| first4=Zubeyde Filiz |last4=Arslan| first5=Efecan |last5=Yazmış| first6=Ilhan |last6=Uremis| first7=Tiziana Antonella |last7=Cossu| first8=Quentin |last8=Groom| first9=Jan |last9=Pergl| first10=Petr |last10=Pyšek| first11=Giuseppe |last11= Brundu | journal=NeoBiota | volume=35 | pages=61–85 | doi=10.3897/neobiota.35.12460 | year=2017 | doi-access=free | hdl=20.500.12684/2578 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Cultivation==
The Moreton Bay fig has been widely used in public parks in frost-free areas, and was popular with early settlers of Australia.<ref name=Hallstreet/> Around the beginning of the 20th century, the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, [[Joseph Maiden]], advocated the planting of street trees, generally uniform rows of the one species. He recommended Moreton Bay figs be spaced at {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} intervals—far enough to avoid crowding as the trees matured, but close enough so that their branches would eventually interlock.<ref name="frawley09">{{cite journal|last=Frawley|first=Jodi|year=2009|title=Campaigning for Street Trees, Sydney Botanic Gardens 1890s–1920s|journal=Environment and History|volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=303–22 |url=http://www.environmentandsociety.org/sites/default/files/key_docs/frawley-15-3.pdf |doi=10.3197/096734009x12474738199953}}</ref> Specimens can reach massive proportions, and have thrived in drier climates; impressive specimen trees have been grown in the Waring Gardens in [[Deniliquin, New South Wales|Deniliquin]], and [[Hay, New South Wales|Hay]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Australian Trees for Australian Planting |last=de Beuzeville | first= W.A.W. |year=1947 |publisher=Forestry Commission of New South Wales/ A. H. Pettifer, Government Printer |location=Sydney, New South Wales|pages=47–48}}</ref> They can withstand light frosts and can cope with salt-laden spray in coastal situations, and their fruit is beneficial for urban wildlife. However, their huge size precludes use in all but the largest gardens, and their roots are highly invasive and can damage piping and disrupt footpaths and roadways; the vast quantities of crushed fruit can be messy on the ground.<ref name=EJ15/><!-- cites previous two sentences -->

Especially due to their tendency for root buttressing, they are frequently seen as [[bonsai]], although they are much more suited to larger styles as their large leaves do not reduce much in size and their stems have long intervals (internodal spaces) between successive leaves.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bonsai with Australian native Plants |author=Koreshoff, Dorothy and Vita |year=1984 |publisher=Boolarong Publications |location=Brisbane, Queensland |isbn=978-0-908175-66-6 |page=52}}</ref> It can be used as an indoor plant in medium to brightly lit indoor spaces.<ref>{{cite book |title=Australian Native Plants for Indoors |last=Ratcliffe |first=David and Patricia|year=1987 |publisher=Little Hills Press |location=Crows Nest, New South Wales|isbn=978-0-949773-49-4 |page= 90}}</ref>

===Notable specimens===
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Large specimens of Moreton Bay fig trees are found in many parks and properties throughout eastern and northeastern Australia. The [[City Botanic Gardens|Brisbane]], [[Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria|Melbourne]], and [[Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney|Sydney]] botanic gardens contain numerous specimens planted in the middle of the 19th century, which are up to {{convert|35|m|ft|abbr=out}} tall.<ref name="EJ15" /> At [[Mount Keira]], near [[Wollongong]] there is a Moreton Bay fig measured at {{convert|58|m|ft}} tall.<ref>{{cite web|title=Moreton Bay Fig – Mount Keira|url=http://www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.com.au/listing_view.php?listing_id=397|work=National Tree Register of Big Trees|access-date=23 November 2011}}</ref> A notable tree in the Sydney suburb of [[Randwick]], the 150-year-old "Tree of Knowledge", was controversially cut down in 2016 to make way for the [[CBD and South East Light Rail]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jul/11/historic-moreton-bay-fig-being-felled-to-make-way-for-sydney-light-rail | title=Historic Moreton Bay fig being felled to make way for Sydney light rail | date =11 July 2016 | access-date=3 April 2018 | work=The Guardian}}</ref> There are many large specimens in New Zealand. A Moreton Bay fig at [[Pahi (Northland)|Pahi]] on the [[Kaipara Harbour]], [[Northland Region|Northland]], was measured in 1984 as {{convert|26.5|m|ft}} high and {{convert|48.5|m|ft}} wide, and in 2011 had a girth of {{convert|14.8|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Great Trees of New Zealand |first1=S.W. | last1=Burstall |first2=E.V. | last2=Sale |year=1984 |location=Wellington, New Zealand |isbn=978-0-589-01532-9 |page=39 |publisher=Reed}}</ref>


The Moreton Bay fig was introduced into cultivation into [[California]] in the United States in the 1870s, 13 specimens being classified as Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles in 1980.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/majestic-mammoths-a-brief-history-of-las-moreton-bay-fig-trees | access-date=3 April 2018 | date= 2018 | title=Majestic Mammoths: A Brief History of L.A.'s Moreton Bay Fig Trees | publisher=KCETLink (formerly Community Television of Southern California) | first=Nathan | last=Masters}}</ref> The [[Moreton Bay fig (Balboa Park)|tallest ''Ficus macrophylla'' in North America]] is adjacent to [[San Diego]]'s [[San Diego Natural History Museum|Natural History Museum]] and was planted in 1914. By 1996 it stood {{convert|23.7|m|ft}} high and the crown was {{convert|37.4|m|ft}} wide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdnhm.org/about-us/history/museum-lore/moreton-bay-fig-tree/ |title=Moreton Bay Fig Tree |website=The Nat |publisher=San Diego Natural History Museum |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> The widest Moreton Bay fig in North America is [[Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree]]. It was planted in 1876, reportedly by a young girl who was given a seedling by an Australian sailor. It measures {{convert|175|ft|m}} across.<ref name=independent>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.com/news/2011/dec/21/sb-big-trees/|title=S.B. Big Trees: The Moreton Bay Fig Tree was Planted from a Cutting from Australia|last=Hayes|first=Virginia|date=21 December 2011|work=Santa Barbara Independent|access-date=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319000822/http://www.independent.com/news/2011/dec/21/sb-big-trees/|archive-date=19 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Aoyama Tree stands between the [[Japanese American National Museum]] and the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles#The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA|Temporary Contemporary]] in downtown Los Angeles. It was planted by Buddhist Japanese Americans in the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tclf.org/sites/default/files/microsites/everytree/aoyama.html|title=Aoyama Tree|last=The Cultural Landscape Foundation|year=2010|work=Every Tree Tells a Story: The Cultural Landscape Foundation's 2010 Landslide |publisher=The Cultural Landscape Foundation |access-date=10 January 2012 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

Two South African specimens, in the [[Arderne Gardens]] in [[Claremont, Cape Town|Claremont]] and the [[National Zoological Gardens of South Africa|Pretoria Zoo]] respectively, have the widest and second-widest canopies of any single-stemmed trees in the country. The Pretoria specimen was planted before 1899, and was {{convert|27|m|ft}} tall with a canopy width of {{convert|43.1|m|ft}} by 2012.<ref name=jmv>{{cite news|last=Versluis |first=Jeanne-Marié |title=Reuse-vyeboom op kampioen-lys |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2013/01/04/B1/3/tjmvye.html |access-date=9 January 2013 |newspaper=Beeld |date=4 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409175447/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2013/01/04/B1/3/tjmvye.html |archive-date=9 April 2015 }}</ref><ref name=schw>{{cite web |last1=Schwan |first1=Angeliné |title=Who planted this massive tree? |url=http://www.nzg.ac.za/newsletter/issues/27/05.php |website=National Zoological Gardens of South Africa |publisher=National Research Foundation |access-date=11 December 2015 |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222174649/http://www.nzg.ac.za/newsletter/issues/27/05.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is a notable specimen sprawling on steps at the [[Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra]], Portugal.<ref>{{cite book |title=Remarkable Trees of the World |last=Pakenham |first=Thomas |year=2002 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |isbn=978-0-297-84300-9 |pages=146–47}}</ref> ''Ficus macrophylla'' has been used in public spaces in Palermo in Sicily, with impressive specimens found in the Orto Botanico, the gardens of the Villa Garibaldi, Giardino Inglese, and in some squares.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dummett|first1=Jeremy|title=Palermo, City of Kings: The Heart of Sicily|date=2015|publisher=I.B.Tauris|location=London|isbn=978-1-78453-083-9|page=218|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqC9BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA218}}</ref>

==Uses==
The soft light timber has a wavy texture and is used for cases. [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal people]] traditionally use the fibres for fishing nets. The fruits are edible and taste like other fig varieties.<ref name="Floyd09" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Native Nibbles |date=2017-05-13 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/native-nibbles/9440302 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |language=en-AU |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref>

==Gallery==
{{gallery|mode=packed
|File:Palermo-Park-bjs-1.jpg|A specimen in [[Piazza Marina]] ([[Palermo]]), one of the largest in Europe. The aerial roots thicken into columns after reaching the ground.
|File:Ficus macrophylla011.jpg|Trunk of ''F. macrophylla'' at [[Orto botanico di Palermo]], showing buttressed roots
|File:The Big Figs (133107707).jpeg|Trees at [[Rancho Los Alamitos]]
|File:Bike and Ficus macrophylla.jpg|Tree with a bicycle providing scale
|File:Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Santa Barbara, CA - June 2022.jpg|[[Moreton Bay Fig Tree (Santa Barbara, California)|Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay fig tree]]
|File:Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Glendora, CA - June 2022.jpg|Large tree in Glendora, California
|File:Glebe fig tree.jpg|One of the two large figs at the [[Glebe, New South Wales|Glebe]] foreshore, Sydney
}}

==See also==
* [[Ficus rubiginosa]]
* [[Ficus benjamina]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ficus macrophylla}}
* {{APNI | name = Ficus macrophylla | id = 37613}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1439079}}

[[Category:Epiphytes]]
[[Category:Ficus sect. Malvanthera|macrophylla]]
[[Category:Ficus|macrophylla]]
[[Category:Flora of Lord Howe Island]]
[[Category:Flora of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Flora of Queensland]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Australia]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1807]]
[[Category:Rosales of Australia]]
[[Category:Trees of Australia]]