Ficus obliqua

Botanical Description

Ficus obliqua is an evergreen tree with a crown that often spreads widely; it can grow from 4 - 50 metres tall, though is more commonly less than 15 metres tall. It often starts life as an epiphyte in the branch of a tree and can eventually send down aerial roots that, once they reach the ground, provide extra nutrients that help the plant grow more vigorously. These aerial roots can completely encircle the trunk of the host tree, constricting its growth - this, coupled with the more vigorous top growth, can lead to the fig outcompeting and killing the tree in which it is growing[ 286 Title Flora of Australia Publication Author Website http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/abif/flora/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description The full information from the Flora of Australia - on-line. An excellent resource. , 490 Title Flora Vitiensis Nova Publication Author Smith. A.C. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden; Hawaii Year 1979 ISBN Description A comprehensive flora of Fiji, often showing plant uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet. , 713 Title Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Publication Author Website http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/rfk/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An online resource giving botanical information, and a little bit about plant usage, for over 2,700 species of plants found in the Australian rainforest. ]. As the tree grows older it produces numerous aerial roots from the canopy that eventually become prop roots, feeding and supporting the tree and allowing the canopy to spread wider[ 490 Title Flora Vitiensis Nova Publication Author Smith. A.C. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden; Hawaii Year 1979 ISBN Description A comprehensive flora of Fiji, often showing plant uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of fibre. The plant is occasionally found in home gardens[ 339 Title Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for Sustainability Publication Author W.C. Clarke and R.R. Thaman (Editors) Website http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80824e/80824E00.htm#Contents Publisher United Nations University Press, Tokyo Year 1993 ISBN 92-808-0824-9 Description The guide includes information on 100 species of plants for Agroforestry. It is also available on the web at the address given above. ].