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Ficus satterthwaitei male & female trees: Kinabalu Park HQ

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Ficus satterthwaitei, male and female trees  growing near each other near the bottom of the loop road at Kinabalu Park HQ, Sabah. All photos by Shuai LIAO. Collection # 20190337.

Ripe Female figs. These green figs are already ripe  and will be  eaten and the seeds dispersed by small Cynopterus fruit bats.

Section through a ripe female fig

The  ripe seeds inside this female fig are clearly visible.

 

Ficus satterthwaitei ripe male figs.  Ficus satterthwaitei figs are dioecious meaning separate male and female trees. Male figs contain both male and female flowers. The male flowers produce pollen. The female flowers do not produce seeds but act as brood chambers for  both male and female fig wasps. When the fig wasps hatch they mate and the females leave the male fig carrying pollen and fly off to pollinate the flowers of a nearby female tree.

The fig wasps have already left this male fig so the fig itself is redundant and will rot either on the tree or on the ground. No animal eats male figs.

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