This strangling fig growing next to the road at Kg Panginatan midway between Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan in Sabah is believed to be Ficus sumatrana. This fig was once common in the hills of Sabah but is now rare. The reason is unknown but probably involves the collapse in the hornbill population in Sabah over the last 60 years. John Hamilton stands next to a sign describing why Kg Panginatan is famous in the history of Sabah.
This fig was not fruiting when we visited so the ID as Ficus sumatrana is based on the leaves alone. This ID must therefore be regarded as provisional.
If you drive from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan in Sabah, the second half of the drive follows the route of the mighty Labuk river which begins as a small stream called the Liwagu at Kinabalu Park HQ but ends up as a large river which enters the sea just north of Sandakan in Labuk Bay. The photo shows the road bridge where the Kota Kinabalu- Sandakan Road crosses the Tampios Liwagu/ Labuk river at the Nunuk Ragang site in central Sabah about 15 km from Kg Paginatan.
