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Ficus leptoclada

Ficus leptoclada, commonly known as Atherton fig or figwood, is a species of plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.

Description

Ficus leptoclada is a small tree growing to about tall, sometimes developing buttresses. The leaves are up to long and wide, and are attached to the twigs by short petioles. The leaves have 7–10 pairs of lateral veins either side of the midrib, and the leaf margins may have very small prickle-like teeth.

The figs are borne in the , on the branches or on the trunk. They are more or less globular, with a 'beak' at the apex. They measure about long and wide and when ripe may be yellow, orange, red or purple.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to eastern Queensland in two separate populations. The larger group is from just south of Cooktown to the area around Townsville. A much smaller population occurs near Mackay. It inhabits rainforest on a variety of soils, at altitudes from sea level to about . It is often seen in rainforest regrowth, as it is favoured by disturbance.

Ecology

Fruit of this tree are eaten by many bird species, including fruit pigeons (genus Ptilinopus) and double-eyed fig parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma), and by common blossom bats (Syconycteris australis).

Taxonomy

The species was described by English botanist George Bentham in 1873, based on material collected in Rockingham Bay by John Dallachy.

Conservation

, this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.

Gallery

References

External links

  • Map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
  • Observations of this species on iNaturalist
  • Images of this species on Flickriver.com