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Strangler Fig is the common name for a number of tropical plant species, including some
banyanA banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
s and unrelated vines, namely:
- Ficus aurea
Ficus aurea, commonly known as the Florida strangler fig , golden fig, or higuerón, is a tree in the family Moraceae that is native to Florida, the northern and western Caribbean, southern Mexico and Central America south to Panama...
, also known as the Florida Strangler Fig
- Ficus barbata, also known as the Bearded Fig
The term Bearded Fig refers to number of species of Ficus, including:*Ficus barbata — one of the Strangler Figs*Ficus citrifolia — the giant bearded fig tree...
- Ficus watkinsiana
Ficus watkinsiana, commonly known as Strangler fig, Watkins' fig, Nipple fig or the Green-leaved Moreton Bay Fig is a hemiepiphytic fig that is endemic to Australia...
- Ficus obliqua
Ficus obliqua, commonly known as the Small-leaved Fig, is a species of fig tree native to Australia. It is found along the east coast from Queensland, through New South Wales in rainforest, savanna woodland, sclerophyll forest and gallery forest. It can grow to 60 m high and nearly as wide. F...
They all share a common "strangling" growth habit that is found in many tropical forest species, particularly of the genus
FicusFicus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The so-called Common Fig Ficus ...
. This growth habit is an adaptation for growing in dark
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
s where the competition for light is intense. These plants begin life as
epiphyteAn epiphyte is:Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of the Raunkiær system. The term most commonly refers to higher plants, but epiphytic bacteria, fungi , algae, lichens, mosses, and ferns exist as well. The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- and phyton...
s, when their
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, often bird-
dispersedSeed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
,
germinateGermination is the process in which a seed or spore emerges from a period of dormancy. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the growth of hyphae from fungal...
in crevices atop other trees. These seedlings grow their roots downward and envelop the host tree while also growing upward to reach into the sunlight zone above the canopy.
An original support tree can sometimes die, leaving a
"columnar tree", central core empty, of the Strangler Fig.
Strangler figs can also leave trees hollow.
External links
- Strangler Fig photo: Florida; Article marietta.edu—"The Tropical Rain Forest"--4 Photos of Strangler Figs/Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.Costa Rica, which translates literally as "Rich Coast", constitutionally...
, etc.
- Stranger Fig video; PBS.org