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Ficus macrophylla
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<p><i>Ficus macrophylla</i>, commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen <a href="/facts/Banyan/q3qLlmQ6">banyan</a> tree of the Mulberry Family (<a href="/facts/Moraceae/nFn8SjK7">Moraceae</a>) native to eastern Australia, from the <a href="/facts/Wide_Bay%25E2%2580%2593Burnett/cxBMBqcL">Wide Bay–Burnett</a> region in the north to the <a href="/facts/Illawarra/DLqRhrgR">Illawarra</a> in <a href="/facts/New_South_Wales/aW7eJXSS">New South Wales</a>, as well as <a href="/facts/Lord_Howe_Island/f8Wu37Ib">Lord Howe Island</a> where the subspecies <i>F. m. columnaris</i> is a banyan form covering 2.5 acres (a hectare) or more of ground. Its common name is derived from <a href="/facts/Moreton_Bay/rQQdpIAk">Moreton Bay</a> in <a href="/facts/Queensland/lXBlIeY3">Queensland</a>, Australia. It is best known for its imposing <a href="/facts/Buttress_roots/xUhXKP8p">buttress roots</a>. </p><p><i>Ficus macrophylla</i> is called a <a href="/facts/Strangler_fig/aS7Tugpd">strangler fig</a> because seed germination usually takes place in the canopy of a <a href="/facts/Host_(biology)/L6mop0kh">host</a> tree, where the seedling lives as an <a href="/facts/Epiphyte/n0oUN0Yd">epiphyte</a> until its roots establish contact with the ground, when it enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a freestanding tree by itself. Individuals may reach 60 m (200 ft) in height, with crown spreads as great as 250 feet (76 metres) being reported. The greatest exact height to be reported is 232 feet (71 meters). It has an obligate <a href="/facts/Mutualism_(biology)/29hCDDS2">mutualism</a> with <a href="/facts/Fig_wasp/k5p38HlL">fig wasps</a>; figs are pollinated only by fig wasps, and fig wasps can reproduce only in fig flowers. The wasp partner of the Moreton Bay Fig is <i>Pleistodontes froggattii</i>. Many species of birds, including pigeons, parrots, and various passerines, eat the fruit. </p><p><i>Ficus macrophylla</i> is widely used as a feature tree in public parks and gardens in warmer climates such as California, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, northern New Zealand (Auckland), and Australia. Old specimens can reach tremendous size, and their aggressive root system renders them unsuitable for all but the largest private gardens. </p>