# Florida Strangler Fig (*Ficus aurea*) The Florida Strangler Fig is a special tree that grows in warm places. It starts as a tiny seed and can wrap around other trees, helping to create a unique forest home. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 5 - **Habitat:** Forests - **Also known as:** Golden Fig, Strangler Fig Tree ![Florida Strangler Fig](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ficus_aurea03.jpg&width=800) Photo: Forest Starr and Kim Starr, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus_aurea03.jpg) ## Appearance The Florida Strangler Fig is a large tree with smooth, light gray bark and dense, leathery green leaves. It often starts high on other trees, eventually developing a massive, intertwined trunk from aerial roots. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Moraceae - **Genus:** Ficus ## Interesting facts - After strangling, the fig can leave a hollow 'ghost tree' behind! - Its thick roots can look like melting candles poured over the ground! - Many animals, like raccoons, love munching on its sweet, purple figs. - These figs grow their flowers \*inside\* their fruit, making them super unique! ## Special abilities - **Host Hugger:** Florida Strangler Fig starts as a tiny seed high in another tree, growing roots down to steal nutrients. - **Aerial Anchors:** This fig can grow long, hanging aerial roots that strengthen its trunk and help it climb over objects. - **Wasp Whisperer:** It has a super secret partnership with tiny fig wasps, the only creatures that pollinate its unique hidden flowers. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 1000-3000 cm - **Spread:** 500-2000 cm - **Bloom Season:** Year-round - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Florida Fig Wasp (*Pegoscapus bleeckeri*) — Wasp is the only pollinator for its hidden flowers. - **Eats:** [Wood Stork](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wood-stork) (*Mycteria americana*) — Storks eat the figs, helping to spread seeds far. - **Eats:** [Raccoon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/raccoon) (*Procyon lotor*) — Raccoons consume figs, becoming important seed dispersers. - **Parasitizes:** Live Oak (*Quercus virginiana*) — The fig slowly envelops and often kills its host tree. ## Traits - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Giant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/giant): Giant describes organisms or objects of significantly larger size than average for their species or type. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Be careful around big trees and always ask an adult before climbing. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Florida Strangler Fig? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Florida Strangler Fig? 1000-3000 cm ### How wide does Florida Strangler Fig spread? 500-2000 cm ### When does Florida Strangler Fig bloom? Year-round ### Is Florida Strangler Fig edible? Yes ### Is Florida Strangler Fig toxic? None ### What is Florida Strangler Fig's lifecycle? Perennial ### How is Florida Strangler Fig pollinated? Insect ## Where to spot - [Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/corkscrew-swamp-sanctuary) — Florida, US · Nature Reserve - [Flamingo Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/flamingo-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Sarasota Jungle Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sarasota-jungle-gardens) — Florida, US · Zoo - [Palma Sola Botanical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/palma-sola-botanical-park) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Sunken Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sunken-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bill-baggs-cape-florida-state-park) — Florida, US · State Park [View all places to see Florida Strangler Fig](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/florida-strangler-fig) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Florida Strangler Fig: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/florida-strangler-fig)