Ficus coronata

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:         Sandpaper Fig

• Also, creek sandpaper fig

• Its common name is derived from its rough sandpapery leaves, which it shares with the other sandpaper figs

Conservation status:

• In Victoria it is listed as "threatened" under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

Etymology:   

• Its specific epithet the Latin coronata "crowned", referring to a ring of bristles around the apex of the fruit

• Ficus stephanocarpa (also meaning 'crowned fruit') as described by the German botanist Otto Warburg is a synonym

Flowers:                  

Fruit:                         

• The succulent oval fruit is around 1.5 cm long and covered in dense hairs

• They are cauliflorous 

Leaves:         

• The trunk is dark brown, and the ovate or elliptical leaves are 5–15 cm long by 2–5 cm wide

• It has a very scabrous (rough) like sandpaper on the upper side.

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a small tree which may reach the dimensions of 6–12 m tall by 3–5 m wide, although is generally smaller

• The new growth is hairy

Habitat:   

• The sandpaper fig is found along watercourses and gullies in rainforest, and less commonly in open forest

• It may be associated with the rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda)

• It is found on limestone outcrops in Kanangra-Boyd National Park

Distribution:                  

• It is found from Mackay southwards through NSW and into eastern Victoria where it is listed as "threatened" under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

• It is native to Australia

• A study showed the species has recently expanded into south eastern NSW and into Victoria

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • Ficus coronata was first described by the Italian Marquese di Spigno in 1818

• Ecology

  • Ficus coronata serves as a food plant for the caterpillars of the Queensland butterflies, the common- or purple moonbeam (Philiris innotatus) and the common crow (Euploea core)

  • The Australasian figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti), green catbird (Ailuroedus crassirostris), olive-backed oriole (Oriolus sagittatus), topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus), and grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) are among those animals who consume the fruit

• Uses

  • The fruit is edible and palatable, and was consumed by local Aboriginal people

  • A popular story holds that the fig's leaves were used as sandpaper for polishing wood or turtle shells by indigenous people

  • Bonsai and fig enthusiast Len Webber stated they were too brittle and soft to function in this fashion, but a more recent example found they did work

  • The sandpaper fig's leaves are an attractive attribute which may be highlighted with bonsai, although the trunk may not thicken spontaneously

  • It is suited to a shady position in gardens, or medium to brightly lit indoor spaces

  • Like all figs in garden situations, they attract birds, such as species of silvereye and rainforest pigeon

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_coronata (2023)