Description
Ficus rubiginosa forms a spreading densely shading tree when mature, and may reach 30 m (98 ft) in height, although it rarely exceeds 10 m (33 ft) in the Sydney region. The trunk is buttressed and can reach 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in diameter, and the bark is yellow-brown. Its ovate to oval-shaped leaves are 6–10 cm (2–4 in) long on 1–4 cm (0.4-1.6 in) petioles. Often growing in pairs, the figs are yellow ripening to red in colour, tipped with a small nipple and on a 2–5 mm stalk. Fruit ripen throughout the year, although there is a preponderance in spring and summer.
It closely resembles its relative the Moreton Bay fig (F. macrophylla). Having similar ranges in the wild they are often confused. The smaller leaves, shorter fruit stalks, and rusty colour of the undersides of the leaves of the Port Jackson Fig are the easiest distinguishing features. It is also confused with the small-leaved fig (F. obliqua), the synconia of which are smaller, measuring 4.3–11.9 mm long and 4.4–11.0 mm in diameter, compared with 7.4–17.3 mm long and 7.6–17.3 mm diameter for F. rubiginosa.
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.
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