Port Jackson Fig
Port Jackson Fig leaves and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Urticales Family: Moraceae Genus: Ficus Species: F. rubiginosa
Binomial name
Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ex Vent.

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 over 600 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig (Ficus carica). Port Jackson Fig - detail This is a photo showing the fruit and leaves of a fig tree adjacent to Turramurra station, Sydney, Australia. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... The Urticales are an order of dicotyledons in the Cronquist system of classification for flowering plants, including the following families: Barbeyaceae Cannabaceae (hemp family) Cecropiaceae Moraceae (mulberry family) Physenaceae Ulmaceae (elm family) Urticaceae (nettle family) These range from small herbaceous plants to large trees, blooming from the late spring to... Genera Antiaris Artocarpus - Breadfruit, Jackfruit Brosimum Broussonetia - Paper Mulberry Castilloa Cecropia Chlorophora Dorstenia Ficus - Fig, Banyan Maclura - Osage-orange Morus - Mulberry Musanga Pseudolmedia Streblus Treculia The flowering plant family Moraceae (Mulberry family) comprises some 40 genera and over 1000 species of plants widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less common... Species About 800, including: Ficus albipila - Abbey Tree or tandiran Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis - Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina - Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica - Common Fig Ficus citrifolia - Strangler Fig Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus erecta Ficus glaberrima Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... René Louiche Desfontaines (February 14, 1750 – November 16, 1833) was a French botanist. ... Species Many; see text for examples Banyan (genus Ficus, subgenus Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs with an unusual growth habit. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus albipila - Abbey Tree or tandiran Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis - Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina - Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica - Common Fig Ficus citrifolia - Strangler Fig Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus erecta Ficus glaberrima Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii... Binomial name Ficus carica L. The Common Fig (Ficus carica) is a large shrub or small tree native to southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region (Greece east to Afghanistan). ...

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. The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920, in the city limits. ...

It was known as damun (pron. "tam-mun") to the local Eora and Darug inhabitants of the Sydney basin.^[1] Portrait of Bennelong, senior man of the Eora / Dharawal tribe The traditional owners of the inner Sydney City region are the Cadigal people. ... The Darug people are Indigenous Australians, who are traditional custodians of the geographic area that now includes Bidjigal Reserve in the Northwest region of Sydney [updated April 6th 2006 Phillip Siegel]. Their history in the area can be traced back for 30,000 years. ...

Description

Port Jackson Fig

It is slow growing, reaching 7-15 metres in height when mature, forming a spreading densely shading tree. 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. 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. Port Jackson Fig A fig tree adjacent to Turramurra staion, Sydney, Australia. ... Port Jackson Fig A fig tree adjacent to Turramurra staion, Sydney, Australia. ... Binomial name Ficus macrophylla Desf. ...

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. Species Many; see text for examples Banyan (genus Ficus, subgenus Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs with an unusual growth habit. ...

Ecology

It is pollinated by a symbiotic relationship with a wasp species (Blastophaga spp.) The pregnant female wasp enters the unripe fig through a tiny hole at the base. She crawls around the inflorescenced interior of the fig, pollinating the fruit. She then lays her eggs inside some of the flowers and dies. The male wasps hatch, impregnate the female wasps and then die. The female wasps, coated in pollen, leave the fig to lay their eggs in another fig. A flower-fly pollinating a Common Daisy (Bellis perennis) Pollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). ... Meat Ants harvest Leaf Hoppers for their honey dew. ... Suborder Apocrita See text for explanation. ... Red clover inflorescence (spike) An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers on a branch of a plant. ...

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. Despite the size of the leaves, it is popular for bonsai work as it is extremely forgiving to work with and hard to kill. An ornamental plant is a plant that is grown for its ornamental qualities, rather than for its commercial or other value. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

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