Shortleaf Fig
Ficus citrifolia
Plant Family: Moraceae
Leaves: Alternate, simple, leathery, with long petioles, to 15 cm, the petioles and midribs are yellow.
Bark: Gray to brown, the trunk is buttressed; thin aerial roots may extend from the trunk and branches.
Flowers: Minute, found within the fruit.
Fruits: Yellow turning to purple, on stalks, rounded, to about 2.5 cm; the tiny flowers are inside the fruit and are pollinated by a small wasp that enters by a small hole; all year, peaking in the fall.
Habitat: Hammocks, but almost anywhere a bird drops the seed.
Growth Form: Large tree.
Similar Species: Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) has fruits that lack a stalk and shorter leaf petioles.
Comments: Shortleaf Fig is less likely than Strangler Fig to start as an epiphyte or to produce thick aerial roots. The fruits are an important food for birds and small mammals who act as seed dispersers.
