| Port Jackson Fig | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ficus rubiginosa
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ex Vent. René Louiche Desfontaines ( February 14, 1750 &ndash November 16 1833) was a French Botanist. |
The Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) , also known as the Little-leaf Fig or the Rusty Fig, is a native of eastern Australia and a banyan of the genus Ficus which contains around 750 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig (Ficus carica). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an Epiphyte when its Seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host Tree (or on structures like Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family The Common fig ( Ficus carica) is a large Deciduous, Shrub or small Tree native to southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean
Well known in parks and public gardens in east coast towns and cities, it is also a valuable plant for wildlife and habitat. Like all figs it requires pollination by a particular wasp species to set seed. This actually occurs fairly readily as fig seedlings are a common site in walls, cracks, crevices and buildings in urban areas of cities such as Sydney. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4
Contents |
Taxonomy
The Port Jackson fig was described by French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines. René Louiche Desfontaines ( February 14, 1750 &ndash November 16 1833) was a French Botanist. Its specific epithet rubiginosa related to its rusty coloration. Indeed, rusty fig is an alternate common name. It was known as damun (pron. "tam-mun") to the local Eora and Darug inhabitants of the Sydney basin. The traditional owners of the inner Sydney City region of Australia are the Cadigal people one of the peoples who belong to the Eora language group [1]
Description
It is slow growing, reaching 7-15 m (20-50 ft) in height when mature, forming a spreading densely shading tree. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The foot is an Anatomical structure found in many Animals It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows Locomotion. Its appearance is that of a small version of its relative the Moreton Bay Fig, the Port Jackson being generally smaller, with smaller fruit and leaves. Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig, is a large evergreen Banyan tree of the Moraceae family that is a native of most Having similar ranges in the wild they are often confused, the rusty colour of the undersides of the leaves of the Port Jackson Fig being the easiest distinguishing feature.
In tropical and humid climates, the lower branches of the Port Jackson Fig may form aerial roots which strike root upon reaching to the ground, forming secondary root systems. This process is known as banyaning after the banyan tree of which it is a characteristic. A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an Epiphyte when its Seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host Tree (or on structures like
Ecology
It is pollinated by a symbiotic relationship with a fig wasp species (Pleistodontes imperialis) The fertilised female wasp enters the receptive 'fig' (the syconium) through a tiny hole at the crown (the ostiole). Pollination in angiosperms and Gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen grains, which contain the male Gametes (sperm to where the female This article is about the biological phenomenon for other uses see Symbiosis (disambiguation The term symbiosis (from the Greek Fig wasps are Wasps of the family Agaonidae which pollinate Figs or are otherwise associated with figs She crawls around the inflorescenced interior of the fig, pollinating some of the female flowers. An inflorescence is a group or cluster of Flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main Branch or a complicated arrangement of branches She then lays her eggs inside some of the flowers and dies. After several weeks development in their galls, the male wasps emerge before the females. They chew holes in the galls containing females and fertilise them through the hole they have just chewed. Males return later to mated females, and enlarge the mating holes to enable the females to emerge. Some males then chew their way through the syconium wall, which allows the females to disperse after collecting pollen from the now fully developed male flowers. Females then have a short time (< 48 hours) to find a tree with receptive syconia to successfully reproduce and disperse pollen.
Cultivation
It is commonly used as a large ornamental tree in eastern Australia, in parts of New Zealand, and also in Hawaii and California in the USA, where it is also listed as an invasive species in some areas. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions Despite the size of the leaves, it is popular for bonsai work as it is extremely forgiving to work with and hard to kill. Bonsai (盆栽 literally "potted plant" is the art of Aesthetic miniaturization of Trees by growing them in containers
It is very easily propagated by cuttings.
See also
- Gardner R. O. , Early J. W. The naturalisation of banyan figs (Ficus spp., Moraceae) and their pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) in New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1996, Vol. 34: 103-110
References
- ^ Troy, Jakelin (1993). The sydney language. Jakelin Troy, Canberra.
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic