Federation Walk is a 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) pedestrian walkway on the Queensland Gold Coast . It is operated as a community project that was launched through efforts of the Main Beach Progress Association and the Friends of Federation Walk to celebrate the Centenary of the Federation of Australia in 2001. It is located at the northern end of the Gold Coast Oceanway on the Southport Spit , Gold Coast in Queensland , Australia .
68-624: The project was launched in 1999 after receipt of the Centenary of Federation Queensland grant of $ 75,000, the Gold Coast City Council matched that amount and the $ 150,000 was committed to Stage 1 construction of the Federation Walk pathway designed and surveyed by Southport Architect and Urban Planner Arnold Wolthers. On 19 March 2000, the walk was officially launched, and was attended by more than 100 people. A fig tree that currently marks
136-419: A peduncle . The main axis (also referred to as major stem) above the peduncle bearing the flowers or secondary branches is called the rachis . The stalk of each flower in the inflorescence is called a pedicel . A flower that is not part of an inflorescence is called a solitary flower and its stalk is also referred to as a peduncle. Any flower in an inflorescence may be referred to as a floret , especially when
204-414: A stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( peduncle ) and by the timing of its flowering (determinate and indeterminate). Morphologically , an inflorescence is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on the axis of a plant. The modifications can involve
272-419: A syconium , derived from an arrangement of many small flowers on an inverted, nearly closed receptacle. The many small flowers are unseen unless the fig is cut open. The fruit typically has a bulbous shape with a small opening (the ostiole ) at the outward end that allows access to pollinators . The flowers are pollinated by very small wasps such as Pegoscapus that crawl through the opening in search of
340-404: A constant source of inspiration and wonder to biologists. Notably, three vegetative traits together are unique to figs. All figs present a white to yellowish latex , some in copious quantities; the twig shows paired stipules —or circular scars if the stipules have fallen off; the lateral veins at the base of the leaf are steep, forming a tighter angle with the midrib than the other lateral veins,
408-597: A distinctive shape or habit, and their fruits distinguish them from other plants. The fruit of Ficus is an inflorescence enclosed in an urn-like structure called a syconium , which is lined on the inside with the fig's tiny flowers that develop into multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, the fig fruit is a fleshy stem with multiple tiny flowers that fruit and coalesce. The unique fig pollination system, involving tiny, highly specific wasps, known as fig wasps that enter via ostiole these subclosed inflorescences to both pollinate and lay their own eggs, has been
476-418: A feature referred to as "triveined". Current molecular clock estimates indicate that Ficus is a relatively ancient genus, being at least 60 million years old, and possibly as old as 80 million years. The main radiation of extant species, however, may have taken place more recently, between 20 and 40 million years ago. Some better-known species that represent the diversity of the genus include, alongside
544-509: A fibrous cloth used for clothing. Figs have figured prominently in some human cultures. There is evidence that figs, specifically the common fig ( F. carica ) and sycamore fig ( Ficus sycomorus ), were among the first – if not the very first – plant species that were deliberately bred for agriculture in the Middle East, starting more than 11,000 years ago. Nine subfossil F. carica figs dated to about 9400–9200 BCE were found in
612-689: A fresh fig, individual fruit will appear as fleshy "threads", each bearing a single seed inside. The genus Dorstenia , also in the fig family (Moraceae), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface. Fig plants can be monoecious ( hermaphrodite ) or gynodioecious (hermaphrodite and female). Nearly half of fig species are gynodioecious, and therefore have some plants with inflorescences (syconium) with long styled pistillate flowers, and other plants with staminate flowers mixed with short styled pistillate flowers. The long-styled flowers tend to prevent wasps from laying their eggs within
680-532: A hypanthodium, which bears numerous flowers on the inside of a convex or involuted compound receptacle. The genus Euphorbia has cyathia (sing. cyathium ), usually organised in umbels. Some species have inflorescences reduced to composite flowers or pseudanthia , in which case it is difficult to differentiate between inflorescences and single flowers. Genes that shape inflorescence development have been studied at great length in Arabidopsis . LEAFY (LFY)
748-443: A key resource for some frugivores including fruit bats , and primates including: capuchin monkeys , langurs , gibbons and mangabeys . They are even more important for birds such as Asian barbets , pigeons , hornbills , fig-parrots and bulbuls , which may almost entirely subsist on figs when these are in plenty. Many Lepidoptera caterpillars feed on fig leaves, for example several Euploea species (crow butterflies),
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#1732858686046816-420: A panicle. The family Asteraceae is characterised by a highly specialised head technically called a calathid (but usually referred to as 'capitulum' or 'head'). The family Poaceae has a peculiar inflorescence of small spikes ( spikelets ) organised in panicles or spikes that are usually simply and improperly referred to as spike and panicle . The genus Ficus ( Moraceae ) has an inflorescence called
884-578: A single or a cluster of flower(s) is located at the axil of a bract, the location of the bract in relation to the stem holding the flower(s) is indicated by the use of different terms and may be a useful diagnostic indicator. Typical placement of bracts include: Metatopic placement of bracts include: There is no general consensus in defining the different inflorescences. The following is based on Focko Weberling 's Morphologie der Blüten und der Blütenstände (Stuttgart, 1981). The main groups of inflorescences are distinguished by branching. Within these groups,
952-402: A spicate (spike-like) inflorescence that is commonly called a spike . Simple inflorescences are the basis for compound inflorescences or synflorescences . The single flowers are there replaced by a simple inflorescence, which can be both a racemose or a cymose one. Compound inflorescences are composed of branched stems and can involve complicated arrangements that are difficult to trace back to
1020-448: A suitable place to lay eggs. Without this pollinator service fig trees could not reproduce by seed. In turn, the flowers provide a safe haven and nourishment for the next generation of wasps. This accounts for the frequent presence of wasp larvae in the fruit, and has led to a coevolutionary relationship. Technically, a fig fruit proper would be only one of the many tiny matured, seed-bearing gynoecia found inside one fig – if you cut open
1088-536: A terminal flower is formed and where flowering starts within the inflorescence. Indeterminate and determinate inflorescences are sometimes referred to as open and closed inflorescences respectively. The indeterminate patterning of flowers is derived from determinate flowers. It is suggested that indeterminate flowers have a common mechanism that prevents terminal flower growth. Based on phylogenetic analyses, this mechanism arose independently multiple times in different species. In an indeterminate inflorescence there
1156-519: Is a sura in Quran named "The Fig" or At-Tin (سوره تین). In Asia, figs are important in Buddhism and Hinduism . In Jainism , the consumption of any fruit belonging to this genus is prohibited. The Buddha is traditionally held to have found bodhi (enlightenment) while meditating for 49 days under a sacred fig . The same species was Ashvattha , the " world tree " of Hinduism. The Plaksa Pra-sravana
1224-407: Is a definite inflorescence that is increasingly more strongly and irregularly branched from the top to the bottom and where each branching has a terminal flower. The so-called cymose corymb is similar to a racemose corymb but has a panicle-like structure. Another type of panicle is the anthela . An anthela is a cymose corymb with the lateral flowers higher than the central ones. A raceme in which
1292-534: Is a gene that promotes floral meristem identity, regulating inflorescence development in Arabidopsis. Any alterations in timing of LFY expression can cause formation of different inflorescences in the plant. Genes similar in function to LFY include APETALA1 (AP1). Mutations in LFY, AP1, and similar promoting genes can cause conversion of flowers into shoots. In contrast to LEAFY, genes like terminal flower (TFL) support
1360-487: Is a gynodioecious plant, as well as lofty fig or clown fig ( F. aspera ), Roxburgh fig ( F. auriculata ), mistletoe fig ( F. deltoidea ), F. pseudopalma , creeping fig ( F. pumila ) and related species. The hermaphrodite common figs are called "inedible figs" or "caprifigs"; in traditional culture in the Mediterranean region they were considered food for goats ( Capra aegagrus ). In
1428-523: Is also one of the traditional crops of Israel , and is included in the list of food found in the Promised Land, according to the Torah ( Deut. 8). Jesus cursed a fig tree for bearing no fruit. The fig tree was sacred in ancient Greece and Cyprus , where it was a symbol of fertility . Video Inflorescence An inflorescence , in a flowering plant , is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on
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#17328586860461496-425: Is an example of mutualism , in which each organism (fig plant and fig wasp ) benefit each other, in this case reproductively. The intimate association between fig species and their wasp pollinators, along with the high incidence of a one-to-one plant-pollinator ratio have long led scientists to believe that figs and wasps are a clear example of coevolution . Morphological and reproductive behavior evidence, such as
1564-560: Is by far the largest genus in the Moraceae, and is one of the largest genera of flowering plants currently described. The species currently classified within Ficus were originally split into several genera in the mid-1800s, providing the basis for a subgeneric classification when reunited into one genus in 1867. This classification put functionally dioecious species into four subgenera based on floral characters. In 1965, E. J. H. Corner reorganized
1632-411: Is frequently found as a pest on figs grown as potted plants and is spread through the export of these plants to other localities. For a list of other diseases common to fig trees, see List of foliage plant diseases (Moraceae) . Many fig species are grown for their fruits, though only Ficus carica is cultivated to any extent for this purpose. A fig "fruit" is a type of multiple fruit known as
1700-643: Is higher because not all wasp species were detected. On the other hand, species of wasps pollinate multiple host fig species. Molecular techniques, like microsatellite markers and mitochondrial sequence analysis, allowed a discovery of multiple genetically distinct, cryptic wasp species. Not all these cryptic species are sister taxa and thus must have experienced a host fig shift at some point. These cryptic species lacked evidence of genetic introgression or backcrosses indicating limited fitness for hybrids and effective reproductive isolation and speciation . The existence of cryptic species suggests that neither
1768-434: Is no true terminal flower and the stem usually has a rudimentary end. In many cases the last true flower formed by the terminal bud ( subterminal flower) straightens up, appearing to be a terminal flower. Often a vestige of the terminal bud may be noticed higher on the stem. In determinate inflorescences the terminal flower is usually the first to mature (precursive development), while the others tend to mature starting from
1836-499: Is normally called simply 'umbel'. Another kind of definite simple inflorescence is the raceme-like cyme or botryoid ; that is as a raceme with a terminal flower and is usually improperly called 'raceme'. A reduced raceme or cyme that grows in the axil of a bract is called a fascicle . A verticillaster is a fascicle with the structure of a dichasium; it is common among the Lamiaceae . Many verticillasters with reduced bracts can form
1904-405: Is often called a panicle . This definition is very different from that given by Weberling . Compound umbels are umbels in which the single flowers are replaced by many smaller umbels called umbellets . The stem attaching the side umbellets to the main stem is called a ray . The most common kind of definite compound inflorescence is the panicle (of Webeling, or 'panicle-like cyme'). A panicle
1972-647: Is used to produce barkcloth in Uganda. Pou ( F. religiosa ) leaves' shape inspired one of the standard kbach rachana , decorative elements in Cambodian architecture. Indian banyan ( F. benghalensis ) and the Indian rubber plant, as well as other species, have use in herbalism . The inner bark of an unknown type of wild fig, locally known as urú , was once used by the Moré people [ es ] of Bolivia to produce
2040-579: The common fig , whose fingered fig leaf is well known in art and iconography : the weeping fig ( F. benjamina ), a hemiepiphyte with thin, tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its rain forest habitat; the rough-leaved sandpaper figs from Australia; and the creeping fig ( F. pumila ), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls. Moreover, figs with different plant habits have undergone adaptive radiation in different biogeographic regions, leading to very high levels of alpha diversity . In
2108-677: The family Moraceae . Collectively known as fig trees or figs , they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig ( F. carica ) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit , also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood . However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout
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2176-441: The plain tiger ( Danaus chrysippus ), the giant swallowtail ( Papilio cresphontes ), the brown awl ( Badamia exclamationis ), and Chrysodeixis eriosoma , Choreutidae and Copromorphidae moths . The citrus long-horned beetle ( Anoplophora chinensis ), for example, has larvae that feed on wood , including that of fig trees; it can become a pest in fig plantations. Similarly, the sweet potato whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci )
2244-575: The Federation Walk Coastal Reserve. A natural section of the area known as The Spit , the 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) long Federation Walk begins at a fig tree in the parking lot opposite the entrance to Sea World . The walk continues through patches of rainforest where regular community planting days are held. After leaving the Federation Walk Coastal Reserve , the walk continues under the sand bypass jetty and along
2312-533: The Gold Coast City Council. Work for the Dole and Green Corps have also been among the organisations that have supported Federation Walk. In 2006 the state government promised $ 100,000 per annum towards the employment of a ranger for the Federation Walk. Ficus About 800, see text Ficus ( / ˈ f aɪ k ə s / or / ˈ f iː k ə s / ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees , shrubs , vines , epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in
2380-565: The activity of an inhibitor that prevents flowers from growing on the inflorescence apex (flower primordium initiation), maintaining inflorescence meristem identity. Both types of genes help shape flower development in accordance with the ABC model of flower development . Studies have been recently conducted or are ongoing for homologs of these genes in other flower species. Inflorescence-feeding insect herbivores shape inflorescences by reducing lifetime fitness (how much flowering occurs), seed production by
2448-421: The base of the stem. This pattern is called acropetal maturation. When flowers start to mature from the top of the stem, maturation is basipetal , whereas when the central mature first, maturation is divergent . As with leaves , flowers can be arranged on the stem according to many different patterns. See ' Phyllotaxis ' for in-depth descriptions. Similarly arrangement of leaf in bud is called Ptyxis. When
2516-481: The breba crop is often destroyed by spring frosts. Some parthenocarpic cultivars of common figs do not require pollination at all, and will produce a crop of figs (albeit sterile ) in the absence of caprifigs and fig wasps. Depending on the species, each fruit can contain hundreds or even thousand of seeds. Figs can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, air-layering or grafting. However, as with any plant, figs grown from seed are not necessarily genetically identical to
2584-482: The community have access to enjoy, appreciate and care for The Spit. Much of their work was undone between 2003 and 2005 when seven deliberately lit fires devastated the area and destroyed planting that had been supported by a $ 25,000 grant from Enviro Fund. Following the fires, a weed-a-thon was held in November 2006 to mark the receipt of a grant from the government of Queensland, which was in addition to money received from
2652-439: The correspondence between fig and wasp larvae maturation rates, have been cited as support for this hypothesis for many years. Additionally, recent genetic and molecular dating analyses have shown a very close correspondence in the character evolution and speciation phylogenies of these two clades. According to meta-analysis of molecular data for 119 fig species 35% (41) have multiple pollinator wasp species. The real proportion
2720-590: The different axes. Some passage forms between the obvious ones are commonly admitted. Determinate simple inflorescences are generally called cymose . The main kind of cymose inflorescence is the cyme (pronounced / s aɪ m / ), from the Latin cyma in the sense 'cabbage sprout', from Greek kuma 'anything swollen'). Cymes are further divided according to this scheme: A cyme can also be so compressed that it looks like an umbel. Strictly speaking this kind of inflorescence could be called umbelliform cyme , although it
2788-540: The early Neolithic village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley , 13 km, or 8.1 mi, north of Jericho ). These were a parthenogenetic type and thus apparently an early cultivar. This find predates the first known cultivation of grain in the Middle East by many hundreds of years. Numerous species of fig are found in cultivation in domestic and office environments, including: Fig trees have profoundly influenced culture through several religious traditions. Among
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2856-411: The family Agaonidae for pollination. Adult plants vary in size from Ficus benghalensis which may cover a hectare (2.5 acres) or more of ground to Ficus nana of New Guinea which never exceeds one meter (forty inches) in height and width. Specific identification of many of the species can be difficult, but members of the genus Ficus are relatively easy to recognize. Many have aerial roots and
2924-420: The female fig trees, the male flower parts fail to develop; they produce the "'edible figs". Fig wasps grow in common fig caprifigs but not in the female syconiums because the female flower is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the caprifig it grew up in. In many situations, the wasp pollinator is unable to escape and dies within
2992-408: The flowers are arranged on the peduncle, the blooming order of the flowers, and how different clusters of flowers are grouped within it. These terms are general representations as plants in nature can have a combination of types. Because flowers facilitate plant reproduction , inflorescence characteristics are largely a result of natural selection . The stem holding the whole inflorescence is called
3060-457: The fruit. When the wasp dies, it is broken down by enzymes ( Ficain ) inside the fig. Fig wasps are not known to transmit any diseases harmful to humans. When a caprifig ripens, another caprifig must be ready to be pollinated. In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs, and there are distinct crops. Caprifigs have three crops per year; common figs have two. The first crop ( breba ) is larger and juicier, and usually eaten fresh. In cold climates
3128-421: The genus on the basis of breeding system, uniting these four dioecious subgenera into a single dioecious subgenus Ficus . Monoecious figs were classified within the subgenera Urostigma , Pharmacosycea and Sycomorus . This traditional classification has been called into question by recent phylogenetic studies employing genetic methods to investigate the relationships between representative members of
3196-436: The individual flowers are particularly small and borne in a tight cluster, such as in a pseudanthium . The fruiting stage of an inflorescence is known as an infructescence . Inflorescences may be simple (single) or complex ( panicle ). The rachis may be one of several types, including single, composite, umbel, spike or raceme . In some species the flowers develop directly from the main stem or woody trunk, rather than from
3264-432: The inflorescences, and plant density, among other traits. In the absence of these herbivores, inflorescences usually produce more flower heads and seeds. Temperature can also variably shape inflorescence development. High temperatures can impair the proper development of flower buds or delay bud development in certain species, while in others an increase in temperature can hasten inflorescence development. The shift from
3332-417: The length and the nature of the internodes and the phyllotaxis , as well as variations in the proportions, compressions, swellings, adnations , connations and reduction of main and secondary axes. One can also define an inflorescence as the reproductive portion of a plant that bears a cluster of flowers in a specific pattern. Inflorescences are described by many different characteristics including how
3400-469: The main branch. A kind of compound inflorescence is the double inflorescence , in which the basic structure is repeated in the place of single florets. For example, a double raceme is a raceme in which the single flowers are replaced by other simple racemes; the same structure can be repeated to form triple or more complex structures. Compound raceme inflorescences can either end with a final raceme ( homoeothetic ), or not ( heterothetic ). A compound raceme
3468-502: The more famous species are the sacred fig tree (Pipal, bodhi, bo, or po, Ficus religiosa ) and other banyan figs such as Ficus benghalensis . The oldest living plant of known planting date is a Ficus religiosa tree known as the Sri Maha Bodhi planted in the temple at Anuradhapura , Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BCE. The common fig is one of two significant trees in Islam , and there
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#17328586860463536-592: The most important characteristics are the intersection of the axes and different variations of the model. They may contain many flowers ( pluriflor ) or a few ( pauciflor ). Inflorescences can be simple or compound . Indeterminate simple inflorescences are generally called racemose / ˈ r æ s ɪ m oʊ s / . The main kind of racemose inflorescence is the raceme ( / ˈ r æ s iː m / , from classical Latin racemus , cluster of grapes ). The other kind of racemose inflorescences can all be derived from this one by dilation, compression, swelling or reduction of
3604-400: The number of symbionts nor their evolutionary relationships are necessarily fixed ecologically. While the morphological characteristics that facilitate the fig-wasp mutualisms are likely to be shared more fully in closer relatives, the absence of unique pairings would make it impossible to do a one-to-one tree comparison and difficult to determine cospeciation. With over 800 species, Ficus
3672-464: The other section of Pharmacosycea , the rest of the monoecious species, and all of the dioecious species. These remaining species are divided into two main monophyletic lineages (though the statistical support for these lineages is not as strong as for the monophyly of the more derived clades within them). One consists of all sections of Urostigma except for section Urostigma s. s. . The other includes section Urostigma s. s. , subgenus Sycomorus , and
3740-579: The ovules, while the short-styled flowers are accessible for egg laying. All the native fig trees of the American continent are hermaphrodites, as well as species like Indian banyan ( F. benghalensis ), weeping fig ( F. benjamina ), Indian rubber plant ( F. elastica ), fiddle-leaved fig ( F. lyrata ), Moreton Bay fig ( F. macrophylla ), Chinese banyan ( F. microcarpa ), sacred fig ( F. religiosa ) and sycamore fig ( F. sycomorus ). The common fig ( Ficus carica )
3808-522: The parent and are only propagated this way for breeding purposes. Each species of fig is pollinated by one or a few specialised wasp species, and therefore plantings of fig species outside of their native range results in effectively sterile individuals. For example, in Hawaii , some 60 species of figs have been introduced, but only four of the wasps that fertilize them, so only those species of figs produce viable seeds there and can become invasive species . This
3876-635: The pathway to the southern training wall of the Gold Coast Seaway. The tip of the walk is at the end of the Gold Coast Oceanway. Federation Walk is supported primarily by Friends of Federation Walk, a subcommittee of the Main Beach Progress Association, whose mission is to prepare a Master Plan for the regeneration of the vegetation on The Spit, create public access for passive recreation, to ensure present and future generations of
3944-406: The plant's flowers are formed. On a larger scale, inflorescence architecture affects quality and quantity of offspring from selfing and outcrossing, as the architecture can influence pollination success. For example, Asclepias inflorescences have been shown to have an upper size limit, shaped by self-pollination levels due to crosses between inflorescences on the same plant or between flowers on
4012-541: The plant's main shoot. This is called cauliflory and is found across a number of plant families. An extreme version of this is flagelliflory where long, whip-like branches grow from the main trunk to the ground and even below it. Inflorescences form directly on these branches. Plant organs can grow according to two different schemes, namely monopodial or racemose and sympodial or cymose . In inflorescences these two different growth patterns are called indeterminate and determinate respectively, and indicate whether
4080-527: The region faced a number of challenges, due in part to the proposed construction of a cruise ship terminal, the Walk has been preserved. In 2007 the Queensland State Government committed $ 100,000 per year to the Federation Walk project. This amount was matched by the Gold Coast City Council and with an additional $ 30,000 in funds not only managed the funding but also employed a part-time Ranger specific to
4148-403: The single flowers are replaced by cymes is called a (indefinite) thyrse . The secondary cymes can be of any of the different types of dichasia and monochasia. A botryoid in which the single flowers are replaced by cymes is a definite thyrse or thyrsoid . Thyrses are often confusingly called panicles . Other combinations are possible. For example, heads or umbels may be arranged in a corymb or
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#17328586860464216-839: The species of subgenus Ficus , though the relationships of the sections of these groups to one another are not well resolved. As of April 2024, there are 880 accepted Ficus species according to Plants of the World Online . The following species are typically spreading or climbing lianas : The wood of fig trees is often soft and the latex precludes its use for many purposes. It was used to make mummy caskets in Ancient Egypt . Certain fig species (mainly F. cotinifolia , F. insipida and F. padifolia ) are traditionally used in Mesoamerica to produce papel amate ( Nahuatl : āmatl ). Mutuba ( F. natalensis )
4284-581: The start of the walk was planted to mark the ribbon-cutting. The first stage of Federation Walk was officially opened on 21 January 2001, with more than 5,000 people in attendance and 100 trees planted. The Opening of the Federation Walk Pathway was held on 6 June 2002, with the unveiling of a large plaque at the Walk's start. Arnold Wolthers prepared and submitted to Gold Coast City Council the Land Management Plan for Federation Walk. Although
4352-499: The tropics, Ficus commonly is the most species-rich plant genus in a particular forest. In Asia, as many as 70 or more species can co-exist. Ficus species richness declines with an increase in latitude in both hemispheres. A description of fig tree cultivation is set out in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work titled, Book on Agriculture . Figs are keystone species in many tropical forest ecosystems . Their fruit are
4420-443: The tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses. Ficus is a pantropical genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of ecological niches ; most are evergreen , but some deciduous species are found in areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations. Fig species are characterized by their unique inflorescence and distinctive pollination syndrome , which uses wasp species belonging to
4488-407: The various sections of each subgenus. Of Corner's original subgeneric divisions of the genus, only Sycomorus is supported as monophyletic in the majority of phylogenetic studies. Notably, there is no clear split between dioecious and monoecious lineages. One of the two sections of Pharmacosycea , a monoecious group, form a monophyletic clade basal to the rest of the genus, which includes
4556-406: The vegetative to reproductive phase of a flower involves the development of an inflorescence meristem that generates floral meristems. Plant inflorescence architecture depends on which meristems becomes flowers and which become shoots. Consequently, genes that regulate floral meristem identity play major roles in determining inflorescence architecture because their expression domain will direct where
4624-666: Was said to be a fig tree between the roots of which the Sarasvati River sprang forth; it is usually held to be a sacred fig but more probably is Ficus virens . According to the Kikuyu people , sacrifices to Ngai were performed under a sycomore tree (Mũkũyũ) and if one was not available, a fig tree (Mũgumo) would be used. The common fig tree is cited in the Bible , where in Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve cover their nakedness with fig leaves. The fig fruit
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