Ficus altissima Blume, Moraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Ficus laccifera Roxb.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: gao shan rong

English: council tree, false banyan, lofty fig

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees in southern Florida have broad tops, with some aerial roots and few multiple trunks. The twigs are up to 0.7 cm thick, pubescent, with elongated lenticels. The bark is green or light silvery-gray. The terminal buds are plump, prominent, 3.6 cm long, up to 0.8 cm thick at the base, puberulent on the surface and on the margins of stipules, and tawny or reddish brown. The entire, glabrous leaves are alternate, equilateral, oval, up to 25 cm long and 15 cm broad, with a rounded or bluntly acuminate apex and a broad, rounded base. Venation is prominent, the midrib flanked at the base by 2 pairs of veins, 1 pair much larger than the other, forming a conspicuous angle or "V". There are 5 to 9 pairs of laterals. The texture is coriaceous to subcoriaceous. The surface is green and glossy above, but lighter-colored below. The petioles are up to 11.5 cm long and 0.7 cm broad, somewhat flattened, hardly (or indistinctly) channeled above, green or pink, and puberulent. The figs are axillary, sessile, and mostly geminate. They are spherical, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, pubescent at first, becoming smooth and glabrous, commonly scarlet, and almost devoid of exterior markings. The basal bracts are prominent, and yellowish to pink. The umbilicus is fairly prominent, scarcely 0.4 cm across, with the scales almost concealed or sunken in a pore-like depression. The interior is white" (Condit, 1969; pp. 206-207).

Habitat/ecology:  Large tree, shading out plants beneath. Can establish itself as an epiphyte on other trees, strangling them when it gets larger. Also can establish itself on walls, buildings, bridges, etc.

Propagation:  Seed. Pollination is by a species-specific wasp.

Native range:  Southern and southeastern Asia; also cultivated (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 44) In primary forests at low and medium altitudes.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Shine, C./Reaser, J. K./Gutierrez, A. T., eds. (2003) (p. 166) Potential invader.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Mountains, plains; 100-2000 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 61)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Celebes, Java, Sumatra
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Malaya
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Planting of this species is prohibited in Miami-Dade County, Florida (U.S.) (Hunsberger, 2001).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Ficus altissima, please let us know.