THE FIGS OF BORNEO

Ficus virescens & the 2015 Kinabalu earthquake, Sabah

uluulublog

9 years ago

ABOVE: The after effects of the earthquake that devastated Kinabalu on 5 June 2015 killing 18 climbers and four guides. The massive landslides show up as white scars on the blue granite mountain.

Landscape photos by Anthea Phillipps.

Ficus virescens photos by Linus Gokusing.

This was the beautiful Mesilau river BEFORE the earthquake.

The Mesilau River valley AFTER the June 2015 earthquake.

Kinabalu Mesilau HQ buildings BEFORE the earthquake. This site has now been closed due to damage to the road and buildings caused by the earthquake.

Ficus virescens growing on an old landslip behind Mesilau HQ BEFORE the June 2015 earthquake.

Following millions of years of evolution many of Kinabalu’s endemic plants such as Ficus virescens and the famous Nepenthes pitcher plants are landslip specialists. Regular earthquakes provide essential habitats for these pioneer plants.

Without regular earthquakes Kinabalu is unlikely to have become the world’s most productive hot spot of Ficus evolution producing extraordinary figs such as Ficus viresecens, Ficus endospermifolia, Ficus cereicarpa, Ficus macilenta, Ficus tarennifolia,Ficus eumorpha and many others. Over 90 species of figs have been recorded growing on Kinabalu.

Ficus virescens a pioneer fig of landslips on Kinabalu growing behind the HQ buildings at Mesilau.

Ficus virescens fig fruits grow in dense clumps on woody lumps on the trunks of the small trees. All photos of Ficus virescens in this article are by Linus Gokusing

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