Off-Shore IslandsSea Fig2003

Sea Fig (HT 2003-74)

This Heritage Tree can be found in Saint John's Island, near water tank.

A dense forest with a large, twisted tree surrounded by various smaller plants and vines.

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat

Heritage Tree Information

Reference ID HT 2003-74	Scientific name: Ficus superba Family name: Moraceae Girth: 5.2 m @ 1.3 m height Height: 23.4 m	Location Saint John's Island, near water tank, forested area (opens in new tab)
⚠️ Please note that this Heritage Tree is in a forested area.

A large deciduous tree that grows up to 30 m in height, the Sea Fig bears a wide and spreading crown. It has relatively large leaves that can grow up to 25 cm long by 12 cm wide and are slightly heart shaped. Its figs on the other hand are relatively small at about 1 cm in diameter and ripen from pale yellow and eventually to purple. They are set in bunches on small woody knobs on the twigs and branches. This strangler fig has large spreading branches and produces many aerial roots from the branches, trunk and base of its lower limbs.

As with many other Ficus species, the figs are a reliable source of food for fruit-eating animals such as the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans) (opens in new tab), Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) (opens in new tab) and Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) (opens in new tab).

The Sea Fig is endangered in Singapore, but is widely distributed from Japan, China, Indochina, and Malesia to Australia.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks' Flora & Fauna Web profile. (opens in new tab)