ABOVE: Ficus aurata fig fruits at Tawau Hills Park in Sabah.
Ficus aurata is easily confused with a related fig Ficus fulva. Both fig species are common along roadsides growing as small trees or large bushes.
All photos by Shavez Cheema
The only sure of way of differentiating between Ficus fulva and Ficus aurata is to cut open the fig fruit. Ficus aurata figs are full are sharp white hairs whilst Ficus fulva fig fruit have only a few hairs. The abundance of hairs in the photo baove indicates that this is Ficus aurata not Ficus fulva. The absence of seeds indicates that this is a male fig.
