''Ficus altissima'', commonly known as the council tree
and lofty fig, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
, a
fig tree
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Moraceae
The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...
. It is a large, stately
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
hemiepiphyte and is native to
southeastern Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
.
Description
''Ficus altissima'' is a large, evergreen forest tree, growing to , with a spreading crown and often multiple buttressed trunks and characteristic of its subgenus ''Urostigma''. The bark is smooth and grey, with small pale brown pustules. The branches are spreading and the twigs are hairy and often green when young.
The leaves are alternate, elliptic to ovate, with entire margins and up to . They are supported on short stalks and have sheathing
stipule
In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...
s.
The flowers are solitary or in pairs and are in the axils of the leaves. They are concealed inside hollow
receptacles which grow into orangish-red, many-seeded. figs following pollination.
Distribution and habitat
''Ficus altissima'' is native to southeastern Asia and many islands in the Pacific. Its range includes the
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between t ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...
,
South China
South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
and the
Malesia region.
[ It was first described by the Dutch botanist ]Carl Ludwig Blume
Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796, Braunschweig – 3 February 1862, Leiden) was a Germany, German-Netherlands, Dutch botanist.
He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his ...
in 1826 from Java. It has become naturalized in some of the southern counties of Florida.[ It grows in mountains and plains.]
Common Names
Vernacular names include:
* Chinese: 高山榕 ''gao shan rong''
Ecology
''Ficus altissima'' is a "strangler fig", often starting life as an epiphyte
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
, on trees such as ''Lagerstroemia
''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
'' (as illustrated above) or palms, sending down roots to the ground which in time grow stout enough to support the growing tree independently. By this time the host tree has been overwhelmed and killed. It can also grow as a lithophyte in a crevice in a rock or a man made structure. It is sometimes planted as a shade tree but has a wide root system and is unsuitably large for most urban areas.[
''Ficus altissima'' is one of many trees that hosts lac insects, ]scale insect
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than th ...
s in the superfamily Coccoidea
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...
, from which the dye lac is obtained.[ It has been planted in southern Florida, where it didn't seed because there weren't any native insects available to pollinate the flowers. However, non-native wasps ('' Eupristina'' sp.), that have become established in the area, seem capable of pollinating it and the tree is now proliferating and becoming invasive.
]
Cultivation
A cultivar 'Yellow Gem' is a variegated variety with yellow tinted leaves.Ficus Yellow Gem (Rubber Plant)
/ref>
Gallery
file:Ficus altissima1.jpg
file:HK Park Ficus altissima 高山榕 Saturday 1.JPG
file:Ficus altissima DSCN1381.jpg
file:HKCL CWB tree 高山榕 Ficus altissima Oct-2013 009.JPG
File:HKCL CWB tree 高山榕 Ficus altissima Oct-2013 005.JPG
File:Ficus altissima allee - Marie Selby Botanical Gardens - Sarasota, Florida - DSC01331.jpg, Botanical specimens in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The Gardens are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby.
Flora
The Gardens feature preserved collection ...
, Sarasota
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
, Florida
File:Ficus altissima3.jpg, Variegated variety
File:FicusAltissima SydBG-20171107-3b.jpg, A mature tree in Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ...
References
External links
*
*
{{taxonbar, from=Q4921039
altissima
Flora of China
Flora of tropical Asia
Plants described in 1826