43. Moraceae

The Moraceae or fig family includes some of the widest trees on earth. Seen here is the famously huge Moreton Bay fig tree (Ficus macrophylla) in Santa Barbara, CA. It is the largest such specimen of the Australian tree in the United States, with a width of nearly 200 feet. It was planted in 1876. Legend has it that the tree is such a well established landmark that homeless people living under its canopy have received mail there.

Anyone who thinks I do not have a fondness for Ficus doesn't know me. I pity the fool that doesn't realize that Ficus elastica is the house plant I've had more success raising, reproducing and reviving than any other. Yes, reviving. I once cut a sickly rubber plant down to the soil and left it fallow while I tried to decide what to use the planter for. Before I could make up my mind, tiny shoots sprung out of the soil and the Ficus elastica was back. The truth is, it is almost impossible to kill them.

This quality of eternal life is appropriate since it was another member of the Moraceae family, Ficus religiosa, that Buddha sat beneath and achieved enlightenment. Not surprisingly these trees, also known as Bodhi trees, are held in high esteem by Buddhists and typically planted at their monastaries. The leaves are unforgettably heart-shaped.

The religious connection does not stop there. According to the book of Genesis, fig leaves served as the first ever articles of clothing. Looking at the leaves of a common fig (Ficus carica), it is easy to see why those leaves were a good choice. Biblical botany is in itself fascinating -- who would have guessed that ingesting the fruit of a member of the Rosaceae family would result in the need to cover one's self with the leaves of a member of the Moraceae family?

Whatever the underlying reasons, plants from this family are very visually interesting. I will never forget the impression Florida strangler figs (Ficus aurea) made on me in the Everglades. The fact that they literally strangle other trees is also remarkable. Even the common mulberry trees I see in California (Morus) have a strikingly subtle sense of symmetry. Other notable members are the banyan (Ficus benghalis), breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) -- the tropical staple of Captain Bligh fame, and Osage orange (Maclura pomifera).