''Ficus virens'' var. ''sublanceolata'' is a

banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

or strangler fig. It grows alongside the related white fig in the northern part of its range. They differ with narrower leaves, almost

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

in shape. Common names in Australia include white fig, sour fig, deciduous fig and banyan. A large example can be seen north of

Murwillumbah Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-e ...

beside the old Pacific Highway, not far from the state border with

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Habitat and range

It grows as far south as the Clarence River, New South Wales, and up through

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and parts of South East Asia. It is often seen on alluvial soil in riverine rainforest.

Description

It is a large tree in excess of 30 metres tall, with a trunk diameter exceeding 1.8 metres. It can be semi

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

. Heavily buttressed at the base. The bark is smooth and grey with various bumps and lenticels on the trunk. Small branches smooth, but with scars of leaf

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. Leaves form with the stipules, and they are shed when the leaf develops.Floyd, A. G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, page 234

Leaves

Alternate on the stem, 5 to 20 cm long, 2.5 to 6 cm wide. Ovate lanceolate in shape, which contrasts to the broader leaves of the white fig. Leaves thin, shiny green above, duller paler green below. Leaves with a short but noticeable tip, often curling to one side. Leaf base somewhat rounded. Leaf stalks narrow and long, 2 to 5 cm in length.

Venation

Leaf veins prominent, raised and evident on both sides of the leaf. Net veins attractive in pattern and shape near the leaf edge. 8 to 10 lateral veins, creamy green at around 60 degrees to the mid vein.

Reproduction

Flowers form within a receptacle, a syconium. Flowers pollinated by

fig wasp Fig wasps are wasps of the superfamily Chalcidoidea which spend their larval stage inside figs. Most are pollinators but others simply feed off the plant. The non-pollinators belong to several groups within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, while the ...

s within the fig. The mature fig changes to a white, pinkish or brown colour with red spots, 10 mm in diameter, almost stalkless on the stem. Fruit ripe in Australia mostly June to August, or at all times during the year. The figs eaten by a large variety of birds including

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 ...

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 ...

Lewin's honeyeater Lewin's honeyeater (''Meliphaga lewinii'') is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear-patch, pale yellow in colour. The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin. Descri ...

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 ...

and

pied currawong The pied currawong (''Strepera graculina'') is a black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus ''Strepera'', it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian magpie of ...

. Regeneration is achieved from fresh seed and cuttings. The

marcotting Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments. Layering is also utilized by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants. Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches ...

technique of propagation is suited to ''Ficus virens var. sublanceolata''.

Uses

Suited to parks and large gardens as an ornamental tree. Often seen planted in Australian parks and botanic gardens. The timber is of no commercial use.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5446652 virens var. sublanceolata Rosales of Australia Rosids of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Trees of Australia Taxa named by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel