ABOVE: Photo of a Ficus variegata sapling next to the Nexus Resort access road near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Both Ficus variegata  and Ficus fistulosa sapling leaves  are always dentate (toothed) whilst the  leaves of adult trees (photo below)  are not. 

Ficus variegata and Ficus fistulosa are two of the most common figs  in Borneo found both in  virgin and secondary forest and along roadsides .  Adult trees are easy to distinguish from their growth habits. The leaves of the two species are also quite different. Below we show examples of the dentate juvenile leaves of both species.

07 IMG_0297
Ficus variegata (adult tree leaves) photo taken along the Nexus  Resort access road  near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. Note that the leaves are slightly wavy but not distinctly toothed.
01 Ficus variegata Kipandi IMG_0098.JPG
Ficus  fistulosa sapling leaves photographed inside the orchid house at Kipandi Butterfly House in the Crocker Range, Sabah. Note that the leaves are longer with more numerous side veins than F. variegata and the basal veins are not as prominent as those of F. variegata.
02 Ficus variegata IMG_0098.JPG
Ficus fistulosa sapling photographed inside the orchid house at Kipandi Butterfly Farm in the Crocker Range, Sabah. Note the basal veins are flatter and not as prominent as the basal veins on the leaf of Ficus variegata.
04 CSIRO Variegata Juv leaves Australia .jpg
CSIRO photo of a sapling Ficus variegata photographed in Australia. Note the dentate leaves.
05 Ficus racemifera Roxburgh 1299 illus.jpg
Drawing of adult leaves of Ficus variegata in India taken from Roxburgh (1824) Flora Indica