The natural distribution of Ficus albipila extends from Sri Lanka to India to Thailand east throughout the Indonesian islands to the rainforests of Cape York in N. Australia.
Ficus albipila is generally rare or scarce throughout its range and appears to be in slow decline throughout.
However on Lombok island one of the Lesser Sunda Islands east of Java, Ficus albipila is locally common and a grove of ancient Ficus albipila trees covering several hectares on the NE Coast of Lombok has become a popular tourist site attracting numerous foreign visitors every day.
This Ficus albipila grove is on private land split between two owners and is advertised either as Big Tree Sambelia or Pohon Purba Lian Lanka.
The Lombok name for Ficus albipila is Pohon Lian but in Java it is known as Pohon Lenses.
This grove is located next to the coastal road which encircles Lombok at the back of Pidana beach near the village of Permatan and small town of Gunung Malang.
See map below.
The climate of Lombok is much drier and more seasonal than Borneo and the current distribution of Ficus albipila indicates that most of Sundaland including Borneo had a much drier more seasonal climate in the past.
