Site icon THE FIGS OF BORNEO

Ficus lumutana, Belalong Canopy Walkway, 18 December 2016.

uluulublog

Leaves and fallen fig fruit of a Ficus lumutana fig tree next to the Belalong Canopy Walkway  on 18 December 2016. For photographs of the same tree when it was fruiting again a year later see this LINK.

Ficus lumutana, a small tree with the trunk obscured on the left hand side next to Martin our guide from the Ulu Ulu Resort. This tree is growing next to the steps just below the Belalong Canopy Walkway. This male tree was fruiting on 18 December 2016 when the fallen figs covered the steps.
Ficus lumutana. Notice the open ostiole. This feature is common to  the male figs of several species of SECTION ERIOSYCEA figs. It is believed that the ostiole opens to allow the winged female wasps to exit the fig without damaging their wings so that they can fly off to pollinate a nearby female fig with pollen from the male fig.
Ficus lumutana. Ripe male figs having released the female figwasps through the open ostiole fall from the tree. Male figs are never eaten by birds or mammals.
Ficus lumutana. The same figs but without the glare of the flash.
Ficus lumutana. Leaves from below. According to Berg, Ficus lumutana is characterized by having no glands on the leaf itself but instead at the base of the leaf stalk  there is a  a waxy circular gland. See photo below of the orange arrow pointing to the shiny area.

Ficus lumutana. The trunk of this fruiting male tree was infested with ants digging both large and small holes. In this photo two individual ants are digging their own holes.
Ficus lumutana. In this photo a group of ants are inhabiting a much larger hole which was obviously excavated some time ago and which has now healed over, providing ideal housing  close to food source ( the fig wasps). This tree is next to a path used by dozens of tourists a day. It would be interesting to know if the ants are resident year round or only when the fig tree is fruiting.
Ficus lumutana. Several species of black ants are often found in association with fruiting male fig trees. Male fig fruits provide breeding chambers for pollinating fig wasps and it is believed that the ants do predate some pollinating (beneficial) fig wasps but more importantly keep parasitic insects which predate the beneficial fig wasps under control, thereby benefiting the tree.

See this article by Rhett Harrison: Harrison R.D. (2013) Ecology of a Fig Ant plant Ficus rosulata

Exit mobile version