Ficus saxophylla is one of four “Sea Figs” which occur on the small islands of the South China Sea, Java Sea and the Celebes Strait surrounding the large island of Borneo.
These small island specialist figs have a number of common characters.
They are lithophytes (rock lovers) and can survive on small rocky, wind battered islands with no freshwater, apart from rain water trapped in the rocks.
Their leaf stalks are hinged to move with the wind.
The figs are relatively small and easily dispersed by nomadic island pigeons and Island Flying Foxes.
A study of Ficus superba showed that it waited an abnormally long period whilst receptive to pollination by fig wasps, and this is likely true of the other species as well.
Of these four specialist fig species only Ficus superba has been recorded on the Borneo mainland.
None of the other 3 species Ficus rumphii, Ficus subpisocarpa and Ficus saxophylla have yet been recorded for Borneo but it is highly likely that they do occur.
Photo shows a migrant Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea feeding on the ripe figs of Ficus saxophylla on Christmas Island which is 350 km south of the coast of Java (the nearest land mass). Photo by RobShep from iNaturalist on a Creative Common License.
There are only two native species of figs on Christmas Island presumably transported there by birds or Flying Foxes, Ficus microcarpa and Ficus saxophylla.
If Ficus saxophylla can reach Christmas Island 350 km from the nearest land on Java then it can obviously be dispersed to and reach all the small islands of the South China Sea. Therefore it is likely that the current distribution map shown below is incorrect and that Ficus saxophylla will one day be recorded on one of the small islands surrounding Borneo.
