Strangler fig
Image:Ficus watkinsiana on Syzygium hemilampra-Iluka.jpg|thumb|210px|Ficus watkinsiana on Syzygium hemilampra, Australia
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus Ficus, including those that are commonly known as banyans.
Species
Some of the more well-known species are:Ficus altissima – southern China and tropical AsiaFicus aurea – Florida, the Caribbean and Central AmericaFicus benghalensis – Indian subcontinentFicus benjamina – tropical and subtropical Asia to northern AustraliaFicus burtt-davyi – southeastern AfricaFicus citrifolia – Florida and tropical AmericaFicus craterostoma – tropical and southern AfricaFicus henneana – northern and eastern AustraliaFicus macrophylla – eastern Australia and Lord Howe IslandFicus microcarpa - southeast Asia to AustraliaFicus obliqua – Maluku Islands, Papuasia, northern Australia and southwestern PacificFicus tinctoria – Indian subcontinent and southern China to northern Australia and southwestern PacificFicus virens – tropical and subtropical Asia to northern Australia and western PacificFicus watkinsiana – eastern AustraliaThese all share a common "strangling" growth habit that is found in many tropical forest species. This growth habit is an adaptation for growing in dark forests where the competition for light is intense. These plants are hemiepiphytes, spending the first part of their life without rooting into the ground. Their seeds, often bird-dispersed, germinate in crevices atop other trees. These seedlings grow their roots downward and envelop the host tree while also growing upward to reach into the sunlight zone above the canopy.
An original support tree can sometimes die, so that the strangler fig becomes a "columnar tree" with a hollow central core. However, it is also believed that the strangler fig can help its support tree survive storms.