If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 557

 

 

 

 

 

Edison Winter Home, Fort Meyers, Florida, Moreton Bay Fig Tree

 

Last week the postcard featured the Edison Winter Estate in Fort Meyers, Florida.  The card this week has a photograph taken by Ken Raveill of Terrell Publishing Co., and distributed by Edison-Ford Winter Estates Fort Meyers, Florida 33901.  The picture shows a giant Moreton Bay Fig tree with its monstrous roots.  On the card reverse at the lower left corner is 111.  At the upper left corner on the reverse is the blurb:  “Moreton Bay Fig Tree on the property line between Henry Ford’s home and Edison Winter Home…”  This card also was among those shared by K & J.

 

This large evergreen tree is commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig or Australian banyan.  The Latin name is ficus macrophylla.  It is native to eastern Australia with its common name coming from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.  It is best known for its imposing buttress roots.  Also called a strangler fig because the seeds germinate in the canopy of a host tree.  The seedlings are not parasitic but grow on the host tree until the roots contact the ground.  Once rooted in the soil it enlarges and strangles the host to become a free-standing tree.  They can reach 200 ft or 60 m in height.  The figs are exclusively pollinated by fig wasps.  Many different birds eat the fruit.  The aggressive root system and the eventual size of the tree make it unsuitable for most gardens.   

 

This tree has been cultivated in Hawaii and northern New Zealand where it has become naturalized.  It has also been used in frost free area public parks.  Because of its size and lack of natural enemies it is potentially an invasive species.

 

Thanks again to K & J for sharing the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_macrophylla