Ficus_gibbosa
Ficus tinctoria
Species of fig
Ficus tinctoria, also known as dye fig, or humped fig is a hemiepiphytic tree of genus Ficus. It is also one of the species known as strangler fig.[3]
It is found in Asia, Malesia, northern Australia, and the South Pacific islands.[3] It grows in moist valleys.[4]
Palms are favorable host species. Root systems of dye fig can come together to be self sustaining but the epiphyte usually falls if the host tree dies or rots away.[5]
In Australia it is recorded as a medium-sized tree with smooth, oval green leaves.[3] It is found often growing in rocky areas or over boulders.[3] The leaves are asymmetrical.[6]
The small rust brown fruit of the dye fig are the source of a red dye used in traditional fabric making in parts of Oceania and Indonesia.
The fruit is also edible and constitute as a major food source in the low-lying atolls of Micronesia and Polynesia.[7]
