Ficus drupacea growing in the Phillipps’ garden on a casuarina tree at Tg Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Tony Lamb for scale. Ficus drupacea is a true strangler which eventually kills the host tree.
F. drupacea is found in the wild from India to the Philippines and New Guinea, however in Borneo F. drupacea is not found south of Brunei . See maps below.
Ficus drupacea next to the Serasa roundabout in Bandar Seri Begawan, being admired by Jungle Dave and Arlene Walshe. This fig fruits prolifically several times a year.Ficus drupacea, Serasa roundabout Brunei covered in ripening figs. December 2016.Ficus drupacea, Serasa, Brunei. Notice the prominent white leaf veins common to many species of figs (probably a sighting aid for fruit bats at night) and the black surface mould on some of the leaves.Leaves and particularly young leaves (underside) and twigs are sometimes covered in a layer of thick scurf or fur.
Range Map Ficus drupacea. Within the range Ficus drupacea prefers open countryside and dryer more seasonal areas and is unlikely to be found in rainforest. Note that Ficus drupacea has never been found in the wild in Singapore but has been planted for ornamental purposes. The range map above shows that F. drupacea has a shrunken relict distribution and was once much more widespread.