Arlene Walshe displaying a terminal leaf bunch of a Ficus annulata fig growing near the exit gate of the the Batang Duri mini zoo at Temburong in Brunei. This fig had just fruited when we visited and the large decaying figs littered the ground underneath. F. annulata figs normally ripen green/yellow and are dispersed by large fruit bats. These bats (Flying Foxes) are now rare in the area – probably the result of being hunted for food by the local Ibans.
Ficus annulata normally grows as a straggling hemi-epiphytic liana high in the canopy but this individual is obviously an exception growing as a tree with it’s roots in the ground.Note that F. annulata is very variable in morphology . The fig may be smooth or in this case hairy. The dried stipules may be cauducus (falling off) or persistent as in this case. The fig fruit may have a short peduncle (stalk) or may be sessile (without a stalk) as in this case.
Ficus annulata leaf underside.Ficus annulata saplings which have established at ground level nearby.
