Ficus fetishists, might love this - F. macrocarpa(?) in a home garden

[DoomsDave]

I was out riding around on the Bike of Doom, when I spotted this (I thought) hellacious Ficus macrocarpa in Fullerton, CA in the front yard of someone's nice house.

[DoomsDave]

This is not one of those petite little plants for a condo patio.

[DoomsDave]

[The Silent Seed]

Loving it!

[DoomsDave]

That thing is GORGEOUS, even if destructive.

Hooray for California

[Josh76]

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

CRIKY!

[Xenon]

very tropical...looks like Ficus macrophylla?

[Walt]

It's an awesome looking ficus, but it's definitely not microcarpa. The F. microcarpa around here have much smaller leaves and smaller buttress roots and limbs -- not nearly as attractive as the tree you show. I think the tree in your photos is commonly called a Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla). I've only seen one in my environs and it totally pales in comparison to the tree you show.

Here's a photo of a local Ficus microcarpa:

[DoomsDave]

Walt!

I think you're right.

They're all macro to me . . . .

VERY MACRO!

[DoomsDave]

Here's a picture of the most macro in the U.S. in Santa Barbara, California.

175 feet across in 1997; bet it's 200 feet now.

[DoomsDave]

Anyone have some nice pics of some macro macrophyllas in a home garden anywhere else in the world?

[dalmatiansoap]

Woohoo!!! Thats absolute!

[Gtlevine]

I love it!

I am a Ficus nut, too bad they are such water hogs, i would have 20 of them.

Gary

[Gtlevine]

Anyone have some nice pics of some macro macrophyllas in a home garden anywhere else in the world?

I have real nice macrophylla columnaris thats 50' tall. I also have an enormous Petiolaris and Palmerii.

Gary

[MattyB]

Wow. They should really cut those pine trees down and let the Ficus' shape round out

[DoomsDave]

Anyone have some nice pics of some macro macrophyllas in a home garden anywhere else in the world?

I have real nice macrophylla columnaris thats 50' tall. I also have an enormous Petiolaris and Palmerii.

Gary

How about some pictures? With your wife for scale?

I recall that you collect them. Sort of like collecting elephants . . . .

[Bennz]

It's an awesome looking ficus, but it's definitely not microcarpa. The F. microcarpa around here have much smaller leaves and smaller buttress roots and limbs -- not nearly as attractive as the tree you show. I think the tree in your photos is commonly called a Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla). I've only seen one in my environs and it totally pales in comparison to the tree you show.

Here's a photo of a local Ficus microcarpa:

Hi Walt, interesting your point of view here. I prefer the aerial-rooting microcarpa to the clean trunked macrophylla anytime. Possibly because macrophylla are comparatively common here, but probably because I just love all banyans!

I'm intending to remove all my macrophylla trees to ensure the genetics of my sb.spp columnaris stay pure. If you are going to have a monster fig, it may as well have aerial roots and auxillary trunks! I've planted about 500 columnaris here so far, and another 1000 seedlings in my nursery. Possibly a little over the top, but will make a certain landscape statement in the future!

How many microcarpa form true auxillary trunks in your area, and how many just have aerial roots? I've often wondered if the difference is genetic or environmental, or a combination of both.

[Walt]

It's an awesome looking ficus, but it's definitely not microcarpa. The F. microcarpa around here have much smaller leaves and smaller buttress roots and limbs -- not nearly as attractive as the tree you show. I think the tree in your photos is commonly called a Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla). I've only seen one in my environs and it totally pales in comparison to the tree you show.

Here's a photo of a local Ficus microcarpa:

Hi Walt, interesting your point of view here. I prefer the aerial-rooting microcarpa to the clean trunked macrophylla anytime. Possibly because macrophylla are comparatively common here, but probably because I just love all banyans!

I'm intending to remove all my macrophylla trees to ensure the genetics of my sb.spp columnaris stay pure. If you are going to have a monster fig, it may as well have aerial roots and auxillary trunks! I've planted about 500 columnaris here so far, and another 1000 seedlings in my nursery. Possibly a little over the top, but will make a certain landscape statement in the future!

How many microcarpa form true auxillary trunks in your area, and how many just have aerial roots? I've often wondered if the difference is genetic or environmental, or a combination of both.

Hi Ben, Don't get me wrong, I like the aerial roots of F. microcarpa. I was just pointing out the difference to Dave between the two species.

I think ficus species in more arid and semi-arid climates have less aerial roots, probably because they dry out from low humidity desiccation. Where I live is far more humid than semi-arid. I think the answer to your question is both: genetic and environmental, but with F. microcarpa, environment is the biggest factor, as here in Florida aerial roots abound, whereas in California and parts of Arizona, the F. microcarpa I've seen in photos appear mostly without aerial roots, I assume due to climatic dryness vis a vis wet and humid Florida.

In my YouTube video (below link) shows my largest Ficus altissima 'variegata'. This species isn't known for lots of aerial roots but they do get some. Once the aerial roots touch the ground they seem to grow in diameter and become solid, forming subsidiary roots. This tree had lots of these subsidiary roots but they were killed back in December of 2010 during an 11-day cold snap where the coldest nights went well below 0 degree C.

Below is another YouTube video I uploaded about a month ago showing my second largest Ficus altissim 'variegata', plus a couple of small ficus species I recently planted.

[The Silent Seed]

Love the photos! I collect Ficus as well - at what age do they start developing aerial roots?

[Gtlevine]

Here is my F. petiolaris. 15' tall, 20' wide, two foot thick trunk lifting up a giant rock slab.

[DoomsDave]

WHOA

That thing's GORGEOUS. I got one, and it died . . .

[Gtlevine]

Here is the trunk of my LHI Banyon. Nothing like the monsters you posted, but still about 50' and starting to monster up.

[Gtlevine]

Trunk on my petiolaris.

[BigFrond]

Nice! I got rid of my petiolaris in the ground. I don't have the space for it. It was only 8 ft tall but the roots was easily over 20ft long. I still have two in pots.

[Bennz]

Here is the trunk of my LHI Banyon. Nothing like the monsters you posted, but still about 50' and starting to monster up.

image.jpg

Is there any possibility that is mainland macrophylla? I only ask because I am amazed a columnaris would get to that size without any aerial roots. Here's my best tree, looks about the same height, but very different root development. About 16 years old in this picture.

[Bennz]

Hi Ben, Don't get me wrong, I like the aerial roots of F. microcarpa. I was just pointing out the difference to Dave between the two species.

I think ficus species in more arid and semi-arid climates have less aerial roots, probably because they dry out from low humidity desiccation. Where I live is far more humid than semi-arid. I think the answer to your question is both: genetic and environmental, but with F. microcarpa, environment is the biggest factor, as here in Florida aerial roots abound, whereas in California and parts of Arizona, the F. microcarpa I've seen in photos appear mostly without aerial roots, I assume due to climatic dryness vis a vis wet and humid Florida.

Hi Walt,

I think the environmental conditions are probably the answer with microcarpa, although I would be very interested to hear if anyone has taken clones from a non-aerial rooter from California and planted it in Hawaii or Florida and see what happened! I'm now completely convinced that genetics are all important with some ficus species. F. rubiginosa is the classic example, some (including the so called 'australis' strain) are banyans regardless of environment, while most produce no aerial roots, or only some if grown in a very humid climate. Similar situation with F. macrophylla and its banyan variant columnaris. F. nitida seems to be non-aerial rooting everywhere, despite that fact that it is probably the same tree as F. microcarpa which can be a banyan. Is it possible that the microcarpa trees growing in California happen to be propagated from the same non-banyan genetics?

[Gtlevine]

Here is the trunk of my LHI Banyon. Nothing like the monsters you posted, but still about 50' and starting to monster up.

image.jpg

Is there any possibility that is mainland macrophylla? I only ask because I am amazed a columnaris would get to that size without any aerial roots. Here's my best tree, looks about the same height, but very different root development. About 16 years old in this picture.

It is trying to send down the roots now. I have both mainland and LHI Ficus so I have the ID right. You have to keep in mind that I live in inland San Diego where it is hot and very dry in the summer so it is much more difficult for the plant to develope the banyon roots. But they come with age.

Gary

[Bennz]

Gary was it you who posted the picture of the thonningii in your garden? If so, am I right in thinking it had good aerial root development already?

[Gtlevine]

Gary was it you who posted the picture of the thonningii in your garden? If so, am I right in thinking it had good aerial root development already?

You are correct, the thongingii was already developing them. My Ficus Benghalensis also produced aerial roots at a younger age. But both of those ficus are more adaptable to our dry hot climate, LHI Banyon is much slower grower than Macrophylla Macrophylla in my climate and is not as pleased with the dry winds. Yours looks gorgeous by the way, hope mine starts producing those roots soon.

[DoomsDave]

Gary keep 'em coming!

[Palms1984]

That's a gorgeous tree! I love them...there's so many large ones here in San Diego. F. macrophylla is definitely for a park or very large lot.

I have a F. cyathistipula which is getting so large I think one day it could be almost as big as that tree.

[tropicbreeze]

I have quite a lot of Ficus in the garden, but no IDs for most of them. They vary a bit in producing aerial roots, some look more impressive than others. It was a bit overcast and glary when the photos were taken.

I think this is a benjamina. It's produced a lot of roots close to the trunk and getting larger many of them have fused with the trunk.


This one looks more like a racemosa. It put out a root high up that's wrapped itself around a nearby palm.


Although it's hanging from a Ficus branch, should NOT be confused with an aerial root. No ID (for the Ficus).


Looks to be the same species as the last. The main trunk is to the right. A close by Black Wattle is being encased by the roots (on the left).


Same tree as the last but higher up. Lot of aerial roots are winding around its own branch with some hanging down. Bit difficult to see against the background.


Appears the original tree (sapling) was broken and formed 4 trunks. These trunks have produced aerial roots that have developed into prop roots.

Edited June 26, 2015 by tropicbreeze

[tropicbreeze]

The original tree (benjamina) is on the right. Aerial roots have enveloped 2 nearby trees on the left.


Same tree, looking up.


This one would be the most prolific with the widest spread. It's near the house so I need to keep cutting off the aerial roots that side to keep the tree away.


One of my largest Ficus, spreads out wide but the aerial roots form fairly close to the main trunk.


Another benjamina.


Think this one is also a benjamina, it's producing buttress roots as well as aerials.

[Walt]

Local Ficus microcarpa (Lake Placid, Florida) that I was told was planted around 1951:

[Walt]

Local Ficus elastica on right dwarfing the house, with Ficus microcarpa on left of house. Both trees were planted around 1951. These trees (and many more) are growing at a girls' 4-H camp that was established in 1951. The director told me he's had to have maintenance people trim back the Ficus elastic many times over the 25 years he's been the director; hence, the tree would be much broader.

[BanyanTim]

Hi Ben, Don't get me wrong, I like the aerial roots of F. microcarpa. I was just pointing out the difference to Dave between the two species.

I think ficus species in more arid and semi-arid climates have less aerial roots, probably because they dry out from low humidity desiccation. Where I live is far more humid than semi-arid. I think the answer to your question is both: genetic and environmental, but with F. microcarpa, environment is the biggest factor, as here in Florida aerial roots abound, whereas in California and parts of Arizona, the F. microcarpa I've seen in photos appear mostly without aerial roots, I assume due to climatic dryness vis a vis wet and humid Florida.

Hi Walt,

I think the environmental conditions are probably the answer with microcarpa, although I would be very interested to hear if anyone has taken clones from a non-aerial rooter from California and planted it in Hawaii or Florida and see what happened! I'm now completely convinced that genetics are all important with some ficus species. F. rubiginosa is the classic example, some (including the so called 'australis' strain) are banyans regardless of environment, while most produce no aerial roots, or only some if grown in a very humid climate. Similar situation with F. macrophylla and its banyan variant columnaris. F. nitida seems to be non-aerial rooting everywhere, despite that fact that it is probably the same tree as F. microcarpa which can be a banyan. Is it possible that the microcarpa trees growing in California happen to be propagated from the same non-banyan genetics?

I have found several varieties of microcarpa growing in California and there is one that has a much greater tendency to grow the aerials. There are a few I have noted inland pretty far from this variety that do have very nice aerial root production even in the dryer climate of San Diego County. The one with the best aerials of this variety is located at Sea World next to the shark encounter exhibit. Although it is only a few hundred feet from the bay with a much more humid environment the others inland only have slightly less roots. Once the canopy develops and creates a shaded and more humid microclimate the roots will develop more quickly. I do think there is a combination of genetics and environmental conditions in all ficus that produce the aerials. But I have grown thousands of ficus from seed and there are always some from every batch of each species that produce the roots more readily and they are all raises in the same conditions for me. So it's is easy to see the variability when you grow them in these numbers. As Bennz can attest for the Lord Howe variety of Macrophylla, they can still perform in dryer climates. But I would have to also believe like all of the others I have grown, that there will be genetic variability among the seedlings even collected from the best trees. Some of my LHI Macs are producing roots up the trunk already and they are in one gallons right next to their siblings with none yet. So we will see in time how they all do. The best way to get a tree to grow aerials is to get a clone of a tree that already does produce great Aerials. And then plant it in the same or similar environment or better to produce the roots. Some species and some individuals of each species will always be better at becoming true Banyans. And that is why I am selecting out the best producers of each species I grow. I like to keep in touch with the individuals I have given trees to. In the future when some of them start to do really amazing things..... I may be knocking on their door again, to ask for a cutting

[BanyanTim]

The first picture is one inland and the second is the Sea World tree.

[DoomsDave]

Welcome aboard Tim!

[Bennz]

The first picture is one inland and the second is the Sea World tree.

Hi Tim, good to see you here!

Funny thing about your best seaworld tree is how 'clean' the trunks appear while still having to the pillar roots at the base. The inland tree with the narrow pillar roots is still very nice too! Walts Florida tree is more like microcarpa as I know it in Australia, generally hairy but not true aux. trunks. It will be very interesting to see how the seedlings from this tree perform in my cool climate. They look good so far. I hope they perform better here with more moisture than they do there!