Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson fig)

The Sandpaper Fig we dealt with last month is easy to identify just by feeling the leaf – the underside is like rough sandpaper.

There are four other figs native to the Illawarra: Moreton Bay Fig, (Ficus macrophylla), the Small Leaf Fig (Ficus obliqua), Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) and the Deciduous Fig (Ficus superba). These are not so easy to distinguish as they are often of a similar shape and size, being almost as wide as they are tall.

The Moreton Bay Fig is readily identifiable in wind which exposes the brown underside of the leaf. The Small Leaf Fig has a much smaller leaf. There is a good example of it on the western side of Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Thirroul.

The Port Jackson Fig’s leaf size is in the middle of these two. It has some rusty colour on the underside of the leaf, but it is not so pronounced as with the Moreton Bay Fig. There is one example of the Port Jackson Fig that has regenerated by itself in the Stanwell Avenue Reserve and two large ones planted in the 1980s. One is near the signpost to the entrance of the picnic area, and the other on the northern side of Stanwell Avenue, just before the deer fence. Five others have been planted in more recent times.

An appeal from Banksia Bushcare

Bush carers have their job cut out for them trying to stem the spread of foreign invasive species. The job is made more difficult when residents throw lawn clippings into the bush. They often contain the seeds of these invaders. We would appreciate people taking full advantage of their green garbage bins to dispose of their lawn clippings.