Moreton Bay Fig

This tree is immense. The Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla) is a native of eastern coastal Australia, from central Queensland to the New South Wales south coast. This particular tree was thought to be planted when Shinn's Nurseries was in business and importing trees.

There are many large specimen Moreton Bay Figs in California. A notable tree can be seen in Santa Barbara off of Highway 1. It is worth a stop on your way south. It is thought to be the largest in the world.

When ripe, the fig fruits are a very pretty speckled red and dark red color.

Visitors ask "Are they edible?" Well, there is not much flesh. It is mostly seeds. Perhaps we need the tiny wasp that pollinates the figs to get a fig that is edible. It is related to the edible fig (Ficus carica).

Many people think that the white drips on the tree are bird droppings, but it is the milky sap of the tree that causes the white splotches.

The immature fruit

No photo can convey how really really big this tree is!