Sandpaper Fig

Common Name: Sandpaper Fig

Scientific Name: Ficus coronata

Derivation of name

Ficus – is from the Latin word, 'ficus' meaning fig tree

coronata –  is from the Latin word 'coronatus' meaning crowned, referring to the crown of bristles at the tip of the fruit

Description

• Medium-sized tree up to 15 m which occurs commonly in Queensland and New South Wales and rarely in the Northern Territory and Victoria
  
• Found in a wide range of habitats, including gullies, creeks, rainforests, open country and sheltered rocky areas
  
• Leaves are rough and densely covered in hairs which feel like sandpaper
  
• Like all figs, the fruit is actually an inverted flower
  
• Fruit is 2cm long, hairy and purple-black when ripe and green when immature, ripening between January and June
  
• Flowers (internal) are pale-white at first before turning a creamy colour and are pollinated by co-dependant species of fig wasp (refer plant 61 Narrow Leaf Fig for more information)
  

Human uses

The fruit of this fig is edible when completely ripe in winter. The traditional Aboriginal use of this plant included using the leaves for the final smoothing of weapons. In herbal medicine the sap is applied to small sores and warts.

 Acknowledgment: Mangroves to Mountains, Bush Heritage, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Australian National Herbarium