Ficus forstenii is a rare fig on the west coast of Borneo but quite common on the E. coast. In the forests of the Maliau Basin in E. Sabah F. forstenii is the second most common large strangler after F. kerkhovenii. This fig is common in the Philippines and Sulawesi but rare in Malaya indicating an original evolution east of Wallace’s Line.
Note that the veins on the upper surface of the leaf are clearly depressed and the veins on the undersurface are very prominent.Ficus forstenii is one of a few true strangling figs in Borneo but can grow in varied ways. Here F. forstenii is growing as a stand alone tree on the road next to the Maliau Basin Study Centre in East Sabah. This fig was covered in bright red fruit in late December 2017.
Ficus forstenii tends to fruit in large crops and according to binturong expert Miyabi Nakabayashi the fruit are very attractive to a wide range of animals including binturongs.
