Ficus obliqua
Encyclopedia
Ficus obliqua, commonly known as the Small-leaved Fig, a tree in the family Moraceae
native to eastern Australia
. It is a banyan
of the genus Ficus
which contains around 750 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig
(Ficus carica). It is found along the east coast from Queensland
, through New South Wales
in rainforest
, savanna
woodland, sclerophyll forest and gallery forest
. It can grow to 60 m (200 ft) high and nearly as wide. F. obliqua is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes greenwoodi
and P. xanthocephalus
. Many species of bird, including pigeons, parrots and various passerines, consume the fruit. It is used as a shade tree in parks and public spaces, and is well-suited for use in bonsai
.
naturalist Georg Forster
in 1786 with the type material collected in Vanuatu. Dutch botanist Friedrich Miquel
described Urostigma eugenioides from Albany Island in Queensland in 1861, which was reclassified by Victorian State Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
as Ficus eugenioides in 1867, and it was known as this for many years, however Forster's name is older and thus has precedence. The specific epithet is the Latin
adjective obliquus "oblique", although what attribute it refers to is unclear.
The species is currently regarded as monotypic. Three varieties of Ficus obliqua were recognised until 2001—F. obliqua var. petiolaris, F. obliqua var. obliqua, and F. obliqua var. puberula from Western Australia. However, a revision of the group led to the conclusion that F. obliqua var. petiolaris actually belonged in the species F. rubiginosa. F. obliqua var. puberula was found to be more distantly related to obliqua than rubiginosa and hence has been reclassified as a separate species, Ficus brachypoda.
With over 750 species, Ficus
is one of the largest angiosperm genera. Based on morphology
, English botanist E. J. H. Corner
divided the genus into four subgenera
; later expanded to six. In this classification, Ficus obliqua was placed in subseries Malvanthereae, series
Malvanthereae, section
Malvanthera of the subgenus
Urostigma
. In his reclassification of the Australian Malvanthera, Australian botanist Dale J. Dixon altered the delimitations of the series within the section, but left this species in series
Malvanthereae.
In a study published in 2008, Nina Rønsted and colleagues analysed the DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS and ETS), and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3pdh) region, in the first molecular analysis of the section Malvanthera. They found F. obliqua to be most closely related to three species of the arid Northern Territory (F. platypoda, F. subperula and F. lilliputiana) and classified it in a new series Obliquae in the subsection Platypodeae. The species had remained a transitional rainforest species while its relatives radiated into dryer habitat.
Historically, there has been some confusion with the related Ficus rubiginosa, however F. obliqua can be distinguished by its smaller fruit on shorter stalks, and its glabrous (hairless) leaves. The synconia of F. obliqua are smaller, measuring 4.3–11.9 mm long and 4.4–11.0 mm in diameter, compared with 7.4–17.3 mm long and 7.6–17.3 mm diameter for F. rubiginosa'.'
s, (Agaonidae); figs are only pollinated by fig wasps, and fig wasps can only reproduce in fig flowers. Generally, each fig species depends on a single species of wasp for pollination. The wasps are similarly dependent on their fig species in order to reproduce. F. obliqua is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes greenwoodi
and P. xanthocephalus
. The assumption that fig species are usually pollinated by just one species of fig wasp has been challenged by the discovery of cryptic species complex
es among what was previously thought to be single species of fig wasps.
into the Cape York Peninsula
in north Queensland and New Guinea
and offshore islands. It is a rainforest tree. It had been thought to occur in Western Australia, but these collections have been now referred to Ficus brachypoda.
The Double-eyed Fig-parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma) eats the fruit of Ficus obliqua, steadily depositing fruity detritus on the ground. The Rainbow Lorikeet
(Trichoglossus moluccanus) is another which consumes the fruit and disperses the seeds; others species include the Brown Cuckoo-Dove
(Macropygia phasianella), Rose-crowned Fruit-dove
(Ptilinopus regina), Wompoo Fruit-dove
(P. magnificus), Wonga Pigeon
(Leucosarcia melanoleuca), Topknot Pigeon
(Lopholaimus antarcticus), Silvereye
(Zosterops lateralis), Pied Currawong
(Strepera graculina), Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
(Coracina novaehollandae), Olive-backed Oriole
(Oriolus sagittatus), Australasian Figbird
(Sphecotheres vieilloti), Green Catbird
(Ailuroedus crassirostris), Regent Bowerbird
(Sericulus chrysocephalus), Satin Bowerbird
(Ptilonorhynchus violaceus), and Lewin's Honeyeater
(Meliphaga lewinii). The Spectacled Flying-fox
(Pteropus conspicillatus) eats the fruit.
Leaves of Ficus obliqua serve as a food source for the larvae of the butterfly
species the Common Crow (Euploea core
), the No-brand Crow (Euploea alcathoe), and the geometer moth
(Scopula epigypsa).
The thrips
species Gynaikothrips australis feeds on the underside of new leaves of F. obliqua, as well as F. rubiginosa and F. macrophylla. As plant cells die, nearby cells are induced into forming meristem
tissue and a gall
results, and the leaves become distorted and curl over. The thrips begin feeding when the tree has flushes of new growth, and the life cycle is around six weeks. At other times, thrips reside on old leaves without feeding. The species pupates sheltered in the bark. The thrips remain in the galls at night and wander about in the daytime and return in the evening, possibly to different galls about the tree.
than F. rubiginosa, it is well-suited for use in the medium; its small leaves and trunk's propensity to thicken, its attributes optimal for a tree 10–80 cm (4–32 in) in height. It is seen in bonsai nurseries mainly in the Brisbane
area, where it is a locally common species, and is very highly regarded by at least one proponent, Bradley Barlow. Barlow's specimen from Brisbane won a prize at the Bonsai Clubs International competition in 2006. It is also suited for use as an indoor plant in low, medium or brightly-lit indoor spaces. The fruit is edible and palatable.
Moraceae
Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates...
native to eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is a banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
of the genus Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
which contains around 750 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig
Common fig
The Common fig is a deciduous tree growing to heights of up to 6 m in the genus Ficus from the family Moraceae known as Common fig tree. It is a temperate species native to the Middle East.-Description:...
(Ficus carica). It is found along the east coast from Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, through New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
woodland, sclerophyll forest and gallery forest
Gallery forest
Gallery forests are evergreen forests that form as corridors along rivers or wetlands and project into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands or deserts....
. It can grow to 60 m (200 ft) high and nearly as wide. F. obliqua is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes greenwoodi
Pleistodontes greenwoodi
Pleistodontes greenwoodi is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus obliqua, the fig species it pollinates....
and P. xanthocephalus
Pleistodontes xanthocephalus
Pleistodontes xanthocephalus is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus obliqua, the fig species it pollinates....
. Many species of bird, including pigeons, parrots and various passerines, consume the fruit. It is used as a shade tree in parks and public spaces, and is well-suited for use in bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
.
Taxonomy
Commonly known as the Small-leaved Fig, Ficus obliqua was described by GermanGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
naturalist Georg Forster
Georg Forster
Johann Georg Adam Forster was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific...
in 1786 with the type material collected in Vanuatu. Dutch botanist Friedrich Miquel
Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel
Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel was a Dutch botanist.He was head of the botanical gardens at Rotterdam , Amsterdam and Utrecht . He directed the Rijksherbarium at Leiden from 1862...
described Urostigma eugenioides from Albany Island in Queensland in 1861, which was reclassified by Victorian State Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
as Ficus eugenioides in 1867, and it was known as this for many years, however Forster's name is older and thus has precedence. The specific epithet is the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
adjective obliquus "oblique", although what attribute it refers to is unclear.
The species is currently regarded as monotypic. Three varieties of Ficus obliqua were recognised until 2001—F. obliqua var. petiolaris, F. obliqua var. obliqua, and F. obliqua var. puberula from Western Australia. However, a revision of the group led to the conclusion that F. obliqua var. petiolaris actually belonged in the species F. rubiginosa. F. obliqua var. puberula was found to be more distantly related to obliqua than rubiginosa and hence has been reclassified as a separate species, Ficus brachypoda.
With over 750 species, Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
is one of the largest angiosperm genera. Based on morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, English botanist E. J. H. Corner
E. J. H. Corner
Edred John Henry Corner FRS was a botanist who occupied the posts of assistant director at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Professor of Tropical Botany at the University of Cambridge...
divided the genus into four subgenera
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
; later expanded to six. In this classification, Ficus obliqua was placed in subseries Malvanthereae, series
Series (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Malvanthereae, section
Section (botany)
In botany, a section is a taxonomic rank below the genus, but above the species. The subgenus, if present, is higher than the section, and the rank of series, if present, is below the section. Sections are typically used to help organise very large genera, which may have hundreds of species...
Malvanthera of the subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Urostigma
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
. In his reclassification of the Australian Malvanthera, Australian botanist Dale J. Dixon altered the delimitations of the series within the section, but left this species in series
Series (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Malvanthereae.
In a study published in 2008, Nina Rønsted and colleagues analysed the DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS and ETS), and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3pdh) region, in the first molecular analysis of the section Malvanthera. They found F. obliqua to be most closely related to three species of the arid Northern Territory (F. platypoda, F. subperula and F. lilliputiana) and classified it in a new series Obliquae in the subsection Platypodeae. The species had remained a transitional rainforest species while its relatives radiated into dryer habitat.
Description
Ficus obliqua is a tree which may reach 15–60 m (50–200 ft) in height and similar width. It has smooth thin grey bark with lighter-colured lenticels, and a buttressed trunk, which may reach 3 m (10 ft) in diameter. The glossy green leaves are elliptic to oblong in shape and measure 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long by 2–3.5 cm (0.8–1.4 in) wide on 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) petioles. They are alternately arranged on the stems. Growing in pairs, the round yellow fruit turns orange with maturity April–July and reaches a diameter of 8 mm (0.3 in).Historically, there has been some confusion with the related Ficus rubiginosa, however F. obliqua can be distinguished by its smaller fruit on shorter stalks, and its glabrous (hairless) leaves. The synconia of F. obliqua are smaller, measuring 4.3–11.9 mm long and 4.4–11.0 mm in diameter, compared with 7.4–17.3 mm long and 7.6–17.3 mm diameter for F. rubiginosa'.'
Reproduction
Figs have an obligate mutualism with fig waspFig wasp
Fig wasps are wasps of the family Agaonidae which pollinate figs or are otherwise associated with figs, a coevolutional relationship that has been developing for at least 80 million years...
s, (Agaonidae); figs are only pollinated by fig wasps, and fig wasps can only reproduce in fig flowers. Generally, each fig species depends on a single species of wasp for pollination. The wasps are similarly dependent on their fig species in order to reproduce. F. obliqua is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes greenwoodi
Pleistodontes greenwoodi
Pleistodontes greenwoodi is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus obliqua, the fig species it pollinates....
and P. xanthocephalus
Pleistodontes xanthocephalus
Pleistodontes xanthocephalus is a species of fig wasp which is native to Australia. It has an obligate mutualism with Ficus obliqua, the fig species it pollinates....
. The assumption that fig species are usually pollinated by just one species of fig wasp has been challenged by the discovery of cryptic species complex
Cryptic species complex
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other—but whose morphology is very similar ....
es among what was previously thought to be single species of fig wasps.
Distribution and habitat
Ficus obliqua occurs from Mount Dromedary (36° S) in southern New South Wales northwards along the coast and Great Dividing RangeGreat Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
into the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in north Queensland and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and offshore islands. It is a rainforest tree. It had been thought to occur in Western Australia, but these collections have been now referred to Ficus brachypoda.
Ecology
Rainbow Lorikeet
The Rainbow Lorikeet, is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia , Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania...
(Trichoglossus moluccanus) is another which consumes the fruit and disperses the seeds; others species include the Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Brown Cuckoo-dove
The Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove, or Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Macropygia amboinensis, is a dove in the genus Macropygia. In Australia, it is sometimes called "Brown Pigeon" or "Pheasant Pigeon", but both are best avoided, as they can lead to confusion with the brown doves and the true Pheasant Pigeon...
(Macropygia phasianella), Rose-crowned Fruit-dove
Rose-crowned Fruit-dove
The Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Ptilinopus regina, also known as Pink-capped Fruit Dove or Swainson's Fruit Dove, is a medium-sized, up to 22 cm long, green fruit dove with a grey head and breast, an orange belly, whitish throat, yellow-orange iris, and greyish green bill and feet. It has a...
(Ptilinopus regina), Wompoo Fruit-dove
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
The Wompoo Fruit Dove , also known as Wompoo Pigeon, is the largest of Fruit Doves native to New Guinea and Australia.-Description:...
(P. magnificus), Wonga Pigeon
Wonga Pigeon
The Wonga Pigeon Leucosarcia melanoleuca is a pigeon that inhabits areas in eastern Australia with its range being from Central Queensland to Gippsland, eastern Victoria, Australia....
(Leucosarcia melanoleuca), Topknot Pigeon
Topknot Pigeon
The Topknot Pigeon is a pigeon native to Australia. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".-Description:...
(Lopholaimus antarcticus), Silvereye
Silvereye
The Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji...
(Zosterops lateralis), Pied Currawong
Pied Currawong
The Pied Currawong is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised...
(Strepera graculina), Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is a common omnivorous passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It has a protected status in Australia, under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974....
(Coracina novaehollandae), Olive-backed Oriole
Olive-backed Oriole
The Olive-backed Oriole is a very common medium-sized passerine bird native to northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea. The most wide-ranging of the Australasian orioles, it is noisy and conspicuous. Not bright in colour, it is olive-backed with small dark streaks, with a light chest having...
(Oriolus sagittatus), Australasian Figbird
Australasian Figbird
The Australasian Figbird is a conspicuous medium-sized passerine bird native to a wide range of wooded habitats in northern and eastern Australia, southern Papua New Guinea, and the Kai Islands in Indonesia. It was formerly considered a subspecies of S...
(Sphecotheres vieilloti), Green Catbird
Green Catbird
The Green Catbird, Ailuroedus crassirostris is a species of bowerbird found on subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. Its colouring is emerald green, with faint black markings on the face and white streaks on the neck.Green...
(Ailuroedus crassirostris), Regent Bowerbird
Regent Bowerbird
The Regent Bowerbird, Sericulus chrysocephalus is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black feet and yellow iris...
(Sericulus chrysocephalus), Satin Bowerbird
Satin Bowerbird
The Satin Bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia.A rare natural intergeneric hybrid between the Satin Bowerbird and the Regent Bowerbird is known as Rawnsley's Bowerbird.-Distribution:...
(Ptilonorhynchus violaceus), and Lewin's Honeyeater
Lewin's Honeyeater
The Lewin's Honeyeater, Meliphaga lewinii, is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear patch, pale yellow in colour.The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin....
(Meliphaga lewinii). The Spectacled Flying-fox
Spectacled Flying-fox
The Spectacled Flying Fox , is a megabat also known as the Spectacled Fruit Bat, lives in Australia's north-eastern west regions of Queensland...
(Pteropus conspicillatus) eats the fruit.
Leaves of Ficus obliqua serve as a food source for the larvae of the butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
species the Common Crow (Euploea core
Euploea core
The Common Crow is a common butterfly found in South Asia. In India it is also sometimes referred to as the Common Indian Crow, and in Australia as the Australian Crow. It belongs to the Crows and Tigers subfamily of the Nymphalidae .The Common Crow is the most common representative of its genus...
), the No-brand Crow (Euploea alcathoe), and the geometer moth
Geometer moth
The geometer moths or Geometridae are a family of the order Lepidoptera...
(Scopula epigypsa).
The thrips
Thrips
Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings . Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice...
species Gynaikothrips australis feeds on the underside of new leaves of F. obliqua, as well as F. rubiginosa and F. macrophylla. As plant cells die, nearby cells are induced into forming meristem
Meristem
A meristem is the tissue in most plants consisting of undifferentiated cells , found in zones of the plant where growth can take place....
tissue and a gall
Gall
Galls or cecidia are outgrowths on the surface of lifeforms caused by invasion by other lifeforms, such as parasites or bacterial infection. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues and can be caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites...
results, and the leaves become distorted and curl over. The thrips begin feeding when the tree has flushes of new growth, and the life cycle is around six weeks. At other times, thrips reside on old leaves without feeding. The species pupates sheltered in the bark. The thrips remain in the galls at night and wander about in the daytime and return in the evening, possibly to different galls about the tree.
Uses
Ficus obliqua is an elegant shade tree for parks or fields, and is adaptable to differing soils. Its timber is too soft for use in woodworking. Although it is much less used in bonsaiBonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
than F. rubiginosa, it is well-suited for use in the medium; its small leaves and trunk's propensity to thicken, its attributes optimal for a tree 10–80 cm (4–32 in) in height. It is seen in bonsai nurseries mainly in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
area, where it is a locally common species, and is very highly regarded by at least one proponent, Bradley Barlow. Barlow's specimen from Brisbane won a prize at the Bonsai Clubs International competition in 2006. It is also suited for use as an indoor plant in low, medium or brightly-lit indoor spaces. The fruit is edible and palatable.