Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona

Port Jackson fig

El NAT Les seus Jardí de Barcelona Port Jackson fig

Scientific name
Ficus rubiginosa
Origin
Austràlia

For more information

Also known as the little-leaf fig.

This species has a feature that is highly characteristic of the Ficus genus: the formation of aerial roots from the branches and trunk which grow downward in search of the earth. Once they make contact with the soil, they take root immediately, turning into thick columns that provide the tree with stability, fresh nutrients and water. The plant can then grow to a gigantic size.

The flowers are pollinated by the wasp species Pleistodontes imperialis and maintain an obligate mutualism characteristic of the Ficus genus, in which each species has a specific wasp pollinator.

We should note that this species is not typical of the Mediterranean region, but of a large coastal strip with a tropical climate on the east coast of Australia.