July 1953 School Magazine

July, 1953

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1953

are connected near the margin. The leaf is dark green and g lossy on top. The under part is more yellowish and has a dull finish. It has a long yellowish petiole and mid-rib. It is interesting to notice how the young leaf is enclosed in a sheath which is a pale yellow or creamy colour. This sheath is formed by two long stipules which gradually unfold and finally fall off, showing the young leaf wrapped round itself. The leaf unfolds in the sunlight. As it grows older, it becomes a darker green. The Moreton Bay fig tree drops its leaves and berries, but is, nevertheless, an evergreen tree as it doe& not lose them all at the same time. When the leaves fall, they often have small lumps of gluey sap, which becomes harder, sticking to them. If y ou walk through fallen leaves, you usually have- half a dozen or more stuck to your shoes. When the leaves d ie, they turn brown and become very brittle. The fruit of the fig tree is called a fig. The tiny flowers of the Moreton Bay fig tree grow inside the green figs in hollow receptacles which have small openings . When the flowers are fertilized, the openings close and these figs, when ripe, become the fruit. (The fruit of the edible fig is formed similar- ly). The fig is round and, at first, a yellowish-green colour. As it becomes older, it turns a dark brown. Birds like to eat the figs which are dry and contain many small seeds . Many orchids, stag-horns and other similar plants like to grow in Moreton Bay fig trees, which support them well. In our garden, we have quite a large fig tree , in the branches of which we grow many orchids and stag-horns. They grow very well and the orchids look very pretty, when in bloom, as the flowers hang from the branches of the tree. Moreton Bay fig trees are some of the largest and best shade-trees in Queensland and New South Wales, in which States they grow luxuriantly. They grow in the soft-wood scrubs of the coastal districts of these two States and seem to thrive particularly well in the Macpherson Ranges . Moreton Bay fig trees are invaluable to farmers because of the shade they afford the stock from the :::corching rays of the summer's sun. City people also should appreciate these trees for the shade they afford in the cities. Therefore, every- one, whether town or country dwellers, should be very thank- ful that Moreton Bay fig trees were created. -DIANA BURNETT

This saves many years' growth and the fig tree becomes a large tree in a comparatively short time. If the parent-tree is hollow, the fig will usually grow down the middle of it. When it has grown large enough, it cracks its case and the parent-tree falls away. If a tree has been cut down -and the stump is left standing, a fig will often grow in a small crevice in the top of the stump. Near my home, there is a young fig ,tree which is about one foot high, growing in a hollow of a branch of another tree. From this tiny tree, a long taut root stretches down until it reaches the ground about twenty feet below. In time, this baby tree will have huge roots which will strangle the parent- tree in which it now has its support. The trunk of the Moreton Bay fig tree is full of milky juice and is covered with a grey bark which is fairly smooth. The · trunk often grows to an immense size. The wood is very soft and spongy and is of no use for tim~er. Bushmen believe that fig trees are never struck by light~ing as their sap, which is very similar to rubber, insulates them. From the trunk of the fig tree, very large lateral roots branch in all directions. Many of these roots are above the surface and are a great size. They are shaped like spurs and are disastrous to other plants growing nearby. It is impossible to make a concrete path close to a large fig tree as the roots crack the concrete. There is a very large Moreton Bay fig tree near my home which we always show to our visitors as one of our beauty spots. This tree is about one hundred feet high and covers approximately one quarter of an acre. The roots are about twenty-one feet high where they leave the trunk and slope gradually towards the ground. The parent-tree has bee-n part- ly burnt but a small portion of it remains inside the fig tree. There is a natural hole through the middle of the tree. Two people are able to shake hands from opposite sides of the tree, through the middle. This tree is about twice as large as the surrounding scrub-trees and it looks very imposing tower- ing above them. There are two varieties of the Moreton Bay fig tree, the large leaf fig and the small leaf fig. These varieties, however, have the same habits. The leaves of the large leaf fig are six to ten inches long, while the small variety has leaves of about three to five inches long. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, and are oval in shape with a pointed apex. The margin of the leaf is entire. The veins run diagonally from the mid-rib and

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