Hill's Weeping Fig

''Ficus microcarpa'', also known as Chinese banyan, Hill's weeping fig, small-fruited fig, Malayan banyan, Indian laurel, or curtain fig, is a species of banyan tree in the family Moraceae. Its native range is from India to China and Japan, through Southeast Asia and the western Pacific to the state of Queensland in Australia, and it has been introduced to parts of the Americas and the Mediterranean. It was first described in 1782, and is a culturally significant plant in a number of Asian countries.

Description

''Ficus microcarpa'' is a large tropical tree to tall, occasionally to , with innumerable aerial roots descending from the branches that have the capacity to develop into accessory trunks or "prop roots". It may initially be epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial. The leaves are narrowly to broadly elliptic, measuring up to long by wide. They are (without hairs) and have 5–9 pairs of main lateral veins either side of the midrib, which form distinct loops within the leaf margin.

Taxonomy

''Ficus microcarpa'' was described in 1782 by Carl Linnaeus the Younger. The species has a considerable number of synonyms. In 1965, E. J. H. Corner described seven varieties (and two forms of ''Ficus microcarpa'' var. ''microcarpa'') which were regarded as synonyms under the name of ''Ficus microcarpa'' in the latest Flora Malesiana volume.

Hill's weeping fig was first formally described as a species, ''Ficus hillii'', by Frederick Manson Bailey in the ''Botany Bulletin'' of the Queensland Department of Agriculture, based on a specimen collected in the "scrubs of tropical Queensland". In 1960, it was reassigned by E. J. H. Corner as a variety of ''F. microcarpa'', namely ''F. microcarpa'' var. ''hillii''.

Distribution and habitat

''Ficus microcarpa'' is native to tropical Asia, southern China, Taiwan, islands of the Western Pacific and Australia. A tropical and subtropical species, the tree requires a warm climate and a humid atmosphere. It can nevertheless withstand temperatures close to 0 °C. The species occurs mainly at low elevations, and its natural habitats include tropical rainforests, river edges, coasts, swamps and mangroves.

Introduced range

''Ficus microcarpa'' was widely distributed as an ornamental plant and is one of the most common street trees in warm climates. It has been introduced to a number of countries in the Mediterranean, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Hawaii, California and Florida in the US.

In urbanized areas, trees can grow in cracks, walls, buildings and other masonry elements. It seems that the species can tolerate urban pollutants in soil moisture, including sulfur dioxide, lead and cadmium, as well as salt.

The symbiotic pollinating fig wasp, ''Eupristina verticillata'', was introduced along with ''F. microcarpa''. Such an introduction, however, can be delayed: in Brazil - where specimens of the tree had been used in gardening since the nineteenth century, when it was introduced by the architect Auguste François Marie Glaziou into various public parks of Rio de Janeiro - the appearance of saplings began only during the 1970s. Such saplings are considered to be very aggressive, as they can grow in the walls of buildings, bridges, highways, and other concrete structures.

The tree is considered a major invasive species in Hawaii, Florida, Bermuda, Central America, and South America. ''F. microcarpa'' is widely used as a street and ornamental tree in areas of coastal California that are free of regular frost. Its strong roots can lift sidewalks and pavements, and many California cities no longer recommend planting them. In Southern California, a population of the symbiotic fig wasp is now established, which allows the ornamental trees to produce fertile fruit. Seeds are spread by fruit-eating birds, and ''F. microcarpa'' can now spread without direct human help. Naturalized populations have been found in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura counties, including on buildings, bridges, and other structures, and as an epiphyte on other trees, especially palm trees. It is commonly used as an ornamental tree in most of Spain's Mediterranean coast, as in the Balearic and the Canary islands. Ficus microcarpa can also be found on the southern coast of Sicily, in Rhodes and Cyprus. It is considered an invasive plant in Israel, although it is not widespread.

Ecology

The pollinating fig wasp associated with ''Ficus microcarpa'' is ''Eupristina verticillata''. In addition, 19 non-pollinating fig wasp species parasitize ''Ficus microcarpa'' figs.
These fig wasps are from different families, which include those of the Eurytomidae and Pteromalidae families.

In some parts of its introduced range, it is very attractive to avian wildlife: in São Paulo, Brazil, ten species of birds were listed as feeding on its fruits, especially '' Turdus rufiventris'', '' Pitangus sulphuratus'', '' Turdus leucomelas'', '' Thraupis sayaca'' and ''Celeus flavescens''. Its fruit and leaves are also sought after and eaten by the parrot ''Aratinga leucophthalmus''. Although invasive, its hardiness makes it an important species for the attraction of avian wildlife in urban environments.

Cultivation

''Ficus microcarpa'' is cultivated as an ornamental tree for planting in gardens, parks, and in containers as an indoor plant and bonsai specimen. In Southeast Asia, it is cultivated as a shade tree because of its dense foliage. Its ability to produce discards also makes it easy to drive in hedge or bush.

As a tropical and subtropical tree, it is suitable for temperatures above 20 °C all year long, which explains why it is generally sold as a houseplant. It can, however, withstand relatively low temperatures, suffering damage only below 0 °C. High humidity (70% - 100%) is preferable and seems to favor the development of aerial roots. The species can be propagated easily by cuttings, either in water or directly in a substrate of sand or potting soil.

Medicine

The plant is also used in traditional medicine in India, Malaysia, China and Japan. In Japan, the bark, the aerial roots and dried leaves are traditionally used against pain and fever, while in China the plant is traditionally used among others against the flu, the malaria, bronchitis and rheumatism. The pharmacological properties of ''Ficus microcarpa'' would include antioxidant activities, antibacterial, anticarcinogen and anti diabetic agents.

Folklore

In Southeast Asia, ''F. microcarpa'', among other species, is thought to be home to spirits, such as Pontianak (folklore). In China, large fig trees can be associated with beneficial spirits and vital energy (" Qi"). In Singapore, some trees are associated with places of worship among Buddhists and Taoists.

See also

List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands

Gallery

File:Starr 040514-0204 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, ''Ficus microcarpa'' with aerial roots.
File:Starr 050516-1267 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, Foliage
File:Ficus microcarpa (8150114011).jpg, Branch and leaves
File:Ficus microcarpa var. nitida 2zz.jpg, A tree
File:Ficus microcarpa kz3.jpg, Bonsai
File:Ficus microcarpa var. nitida 0zz.jpg, Trunk
File:Starr 080601-5176 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, Shrubby tree
File:Starr 070111-3088 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, A tree at a park in Hawaii
File:Starr 080531-4730 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, A tree in Midway Atoll
File:Starr 050722-2918 Ficus microcarpa.jpg, Tree with closeup of branches and trunk
File:Ficus microcarpa P1130327 08.jpg, Fruits
File:Ficus microcarpa Blanco2.382.jpg, Botanical illustration
File:Morning in the Hyde Park, Sydney 01.jpg, An avenue of ''Ficus microcarpa'' in Hyde Park, Sydney
File:פיקוס השדרות על דקל תמר מצוי.jpg, Ficus microcarpa living on Phoenix dactylifera (date palm). It is there due to guano of flying Egyptian fruit bat
File:Ficus microcarpa - Habitus.jpg, alt=Ficus microcarpa – Stem & Habitus., Stem & Habitus
File:Ficus microcarpa - Stem & leaves 2.jpg, alt=Ficus microcarpa – Stem with leaves, Stem with leaves
File:פיקוס השדרות גדל על גג.jpg, Growing on roof top
File:Wilshire Boulevard at Hope Street, downtown Los Angeles, California.jpg, ''Ficus microcarpa'' is a common tree seen alongside streets of Los Angeles area and generally its the most common evergreen fig in southern California

References

External links

Plants of Hawaii: ''Ficus microcarpa''
hear.org

''Ficus microcarpa'' L.f.
Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Indian Laurel Invasive Plant Page, Bermuda Department of Conservation Services.


Yokoyama, Jun, and Kunio Iwatsuki. "A faunal survey of fig-wasps (Chalcidoidea: Hymenoptera) distributed in Japan and their associations with figs (Ficus: Moraceae)." Entomological science 1.1 (1998): 37–46.

Ficus, microcarpa
Flora of the Australasian realm
Flora of the Indomalayan realm
Trees of China
Trees of Japan
Trees of Taiwan
Flora of tropical Asia
Flora of the Northwestern Pacific
Trees of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1782
Garden plants of Asia
Plants used in bonsai
Ornamental trees