Johor Fig (HT 2019 303)

Reference ID HT 2019-303	Scientific name: Ficus kerkhovenii Family name: Moraceae Girth: 6.82 m @ 1.3 m height Height: 18.5 m	Location Sentosa, Capella Hotel, near Room 1
⛔ Please note that this Heritage Tree is only accessible to hotel guests.

The Johor Fig is an immense strangling fig that can grow up to 45 m in height. It has a very large and wide spreading crown and pinkish brown bark. Its figs ripen to a pale yellow or orange colour. Native to Singapore and endangered in the wild, this species was reportedly common in Java and Malaya in the mid-1900s.

The species epithet 'kerkhovenii ' is named for Dutch botanist E.J. Kerkhoven (1834 – 1905), who was known for his explorations in Java.

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), Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), and Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris).

This tree was conserved by the hotel when the hotel was developed in the early 2000s. It measured 6.8 m in girth when endorsed as a Heritage Tree in 2019.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks' Flora & Fauna Web profile here.

Gallery

📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat