''Ficus coronata'', commonly known as the sandpaper fig or creek sandpaper fig, is a species of

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

tree, native to Australia. It is found along the east coast from

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

, through

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and just into

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

near

Mallacoota Mallacoota is a small town in the East Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Mallacoota had a population of 1,063. At holiday times, particularly Easter and Christmas, the population increases by about 8,000 ...

. It grows along river banks and gullies in rainforest and open forest. Its common name is derived from its rough sandpapery leaves, which it shares with the other

sandpaper fig The sandpaper figs are so named for their leaves, which are rough and sandpaper-like in texture. The common name may refer to a number of species in the genus ''Ficus'': Australian species: *'' Ficus carpentariensis'', possibly hybrid individuals * ...

Taxonomy

''Ficus coronata'' was first described by the Italian Marquese di Spigno in 1818. Its specific epithet the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''coronata'' "crowned", referring to a ring of bristles around the apex of the fruit. ''Ficus stephanocarpa'' (also meaning 'crowned fruit') as described by the German botanist

Otto Warburg Otto Warburg may refer to: *Otto Warburg (botanist) (1859–1938), German botanist *Otto Heinrich Warburg Otto Heinrich Warburg (, ; 8 October 1883 – 1 August 1970), son of physicist Emil Warburg, was a German physiologist, medical doctor, and ...

is a synonym.

Description

The sandpaper fig is a small tree which may reach the dimensions of tall by wide, although is generally smaller. The trunk is dark brown, and the ovate or elliptical leaves are long by wide and very scabrous (rough) like

sandpaper upright=1.35, Sheets of sandpaper with different grit sizes (40 (coarse), 80, 150, 240, 600 (fine)). Sandpaper and glasspaper are names used for a type of coated abrasive that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with abrasive material glued to ...

on the upper side. The new growth is hairy. The succulent oval fruit is around long and covered in dense hairs.

Distribution and habitat

The sandpaper fig is found along watercourses and gullies in rainforest, and less commonly in open forest. It may be associated with the rough-barked apple (''

Angophora floribunda ''Angophora floribunda'', commonly known as the rough-barked apple, is a common woodland and forest tree of the family Myrtaceae native to Eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) high, it is a large tree with fibrous bark and cream-wh ...

''). It is found on limestone outcrops in

Kanangra-Boyd National Park The Kanangra-Boyd National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Southern Highlands and Macarthur regions, in New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated app ...

. It is found from

southwards through New South Wales and into eastern Victoria where it is listed as "threatened" under the

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

. A study showed the species has recently expanded into south eastern New South Wales and into Victoria.

Ecology

''Ficus coronata'' serves as a food plant for the caterpillars of the Queensland butterfly the common- or purple moonbeam ('' Philiris innotatus''), The

Australasian figbird The Australasian figbird (''Sphecotheres vieilloti''), also known as the green figbird (not to be confused with the Timor figbird), is a conspicuous, medium-sized passerine bird native to a wide range of wooded habitats in northern and eastern ...

(''Sphecotheres vieilloti''),

green catbird The green catbird (''Ailuroedus crassirostris'') is a species of bowerbird found in subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It is named after its distinctive call which soun ...

(''Ailuroedus crassirostris''),

olive-backed oriole The olive-backed oriole (''Oriolus sagittatus''), or white-bellied oriole, is a very common medium-sized passerine bird native to northern and eastern Australia and south-central New Guinea. The most wide-ranging of the Australasian Old World ori ...

(''Oriolus sagittatus''),

topknot pigeon The topknot pigeon (''Lopholaimus antarcticus'') is a pigeon native to eastern Australia. Taxonomy English naturalist George Shaw described the topknot pigeon as ''Columba antarctica'' in 1793. The topknot pigeon is sister taxon to a lineage t ...

(''Lopholaimus antarcticus''), and

grey-headed flying fox The grey-headed flying fox (''Pteropus poliocephalus'') is a megabat native to Australia. The species shares mainland Australia with three other members of the genus ''Pteropus'': the little red '' P. scapulatus'', spectacled '' P. conspicill ...

(''Pteropus poliocephalus'') are among those animals who consume the fruit.

Uses

The fruit is edible and palatable, and was consumed by local Aboriginal people. A popular story holds that the fig's leaves were used as sandpaper for polishing wood or turtle shells by indigenous people. Bonsai and fig enthusiast Len Webber stated they were too brittle and soft to function in this fashion, but a more recent example found they did work. The sandpaper fig's leaves are an attractive attribute which may be highlighted with bonsai, although the trunk may not thicken spontaneously. It is suited to a shady position in gardens, or medium to brightly lit indoor spaces. Like all figs in garden situations, they attract birds, such as species of

silvereye The silvereye or wax-eye (''Zosterops lateralis'') is a very small omnivorous passerine bird of the south-west Pacific. In Australia and New Zealand its common name is sometimes white-eye, but this name is more commonly used to refer to all membe ...

and rainforest pigeon.

References

External links

Occurrence data map for ''Ficus coronata''.
(Australasian Virtual Herbarium) * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5446604, PfaF=no coronata Rosales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Drought-tolerant trees Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees Garden plants of Australia Flora of Victoria (Australia) Plants described in 1818