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Panorama: rainforest strangler fig
| Title | Info |
|---|---|
| Common name | Fig, strangler |
| Scientific name | Ficus |
| Taxonomic group | Moraceae |
| Source | Dan L. Perlman |
| Ecosystems | Forests |
| Forests | Tropical rainforest |
| Selection and adaptations | Selection |
| Selection | Morphology |
| Lessons | Panoramas |
| Date | August 07, 2009 |
| Location | Monteverde,Costa Rica,North America |
Strangler fig trees, such as this one, typically begin life as a seed deposited high in the branches of a host tree. The fig's roots grow down to the ground, encircling the host. Eventually, the fig grows taller than the host and outcompetes it for light (and possibly for water and nutrients) so that the host dies. Over time, the host tree rots away entirely, leaving behind the hollow cylinder of the living fig's roots, as seen here.
