HAGAMIT Ficus minahassae (Teijsman & de Vriese 1867) Miq
SECTION: BOSSCHERIA
Local name in the Philippines: Hagamit
Local name in Sulawesi: Langusei
Latin: Minahassa is the Indonesian name for the northern arm of the island of Sulawesi east of Borneo. Sulawesi is separated from Borneo by the 2,000m deep Makassar trench.
Wallaces’s Line: The popular name for the floral and faunal barrier resulting from the Makassar Trench is Wallace’s Line.
Ficus minhassae is one of a very few figs found in Borneo which have crossed Wallace’s Line from east to west. Other examples are Ficus gul and Ficus glandifera.
Habit: A small tree to 25 m commonly found along streams in lowland forest in the Philippines and N. Sulawesi with long aerial roots covered with clumps of tiny figs.
Leaf: The large leaves are arranged in spirals and are normally heart shaped (cordate) with 6-12 pairs of side veins.
Fig Fruit: The tiny figs are arranged in tight bunches on both the trunk and on the hanging roots.
Similar Species: None
Distribution: Very rare in Borneo with scattered records from the lowlands of east Sabah including (1) Rafflesia Hill at Danum Valley Field Centre (2) SAN Agama 9464 from Pulau Timbun Mata, Darvel bay (3) Sungai Tekun near Lahad Datu. The Sg. Tekun record dates from 1979. The forest at Sg Tekun has since been converted to one of Borneo’s largest oil palm plantations, the FELDA Sahabat scheme. (4) BORA Rhino orchard Tabin Sabah.
These records indicate that F. minahaasae arrived in Borneo via the Sulu Islands in the southern Philippines and is most likely to be found along the streams and rivers that empty into Darvel Bay including the Segama river
Range: Common throughout the Philippines and N. Sulawesi but rare in Borneo.
