Toowoomba's Best Trees - book extract Toowoomba's Best Trees - book extract | Page 4

5
Deciduous Fig
IN THE BOYCE GARDENS AND RAINFOREST
The Boyce Gardens and rainforest are on the corner of Range Street and
Mackenzie Street, with the main entrance on Range Street. Parking is off and
below Range Street a little to the west of the main gate. The deciduous fig
is in the rainforest section, which is in the north-west corner of the property,
along the small path leading down through the forest from Range Street. The
rainforest can also be accessed by the path leading into the forest by the old
(filled in) swimming pool then following the edge of Range Street downhill
to the path mentioned above. Follow the path down into the rainforest - the
tree is beside the path. In the rainforest beware of stinging trees and do
not touch them or their fresh green or fallen dried leaves – see the box
on the next page.
Deciduous figs are one of several species of strangler figs that are native to the
rainforests of the Toowoomba escarpment. Several other small deciduous figs
have survived as relics where rainforest has been cleared in eastern Toowoomba,
but this tree is by far the largest and best in the city and remains in its native
habitat in this small area of preserved remnant rainforest. It is surrounded by
native forest that has never been cleared.
The tree is 33 metres high with a canopy spread of 23 metres, and is 2.15 metres
thick above its buttressed roots. The canopy is above and interwoven with the
canopies of the adjacent trees and is not easy to see.
Strangler figs do not always strangle, but this is hollow at the centre and probably
started life as a seedling high up in the branches of another tree then sent down
roots that eventually strangled its supporting tree. We do not know its age, but is
certainly an old tree.
Deciduous fig trees (Ficus superba var. henneana) are large (to 35 m tall) semi-
evergreen rainforest trees with thick buttressed trunks covered with thin smooth
grey-silver bark. Aerial roots develop on the trunk and drop down to take root in
the ground, but our climate in Toowoomba is not moist enough for any of our
native species of figs to develop extensive aerial root systems. The thick shiny
leathery leaves are 8-12 cm long on 4-5 cm stalks and tend to be shed in the
spring, quickly being replaced by new leaves. The mature fruits are rounded,
about 1 cm across, and reddish-brown with small white spots. You may find fresh
leaves and fruits on the ground under the tree. Deciduous figs occur from Japan
and China to south-east Asia and north-east Australia, but the variety henneana
only occurs in Australia. The specific name superba obviously means splendid
or superb, whilst the subspecific name henneana honours Diedrich Henner, a