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Weeping Fig
Ficus benjamina
-27.4772, 152.976
Field Notes
Description:
This tree is huge! It's a Weeping Fig, a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, and is native to south and southeast Asia and Australia. This is an old, well-established tree, and its canopy is enormous! - the photos don't do it justice. Although not the largest Weeping Fig trunk I've ever seen, it certainly has the largest canopy, approximately 45-50 meters in diameter. Long, slender branches, and from the spot where I've taken this photo I am still beneath the canopy, and it spreads the same distance on the opposite side of the trunk. The flying fox quartet was a nice touch :-)
Habitat:
This specimen was spotted in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-Tha.
Notes:
I laughed when I saw this tree. F. benjamina is very popular world-wide and is sold as a house plant or ornamental tree for gardens. However, this is what it can grow into. I reckon this spotting would provide enough shade to cover two standard Australian suburban house blocks. That's 2x quarter acre blocks. A very handsome specimen, but I wouldn't want it near my house; it's roots can be very destructive. An awesome tree for the local park.
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