Ficus microcarpus
System : Terrestrial
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Plantae
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliopsida
Urticales
Moraceae
  • General
  • Distribution
  • Impact
  • Management
  • Bibliography
  • Contact
Common name
rong shu (English, China), Vorhang-Feige (German), figueira-lacerdinha (Portuguese), laurel-da-�ndia (Portuguese), laurel fig (English), Malay banyan (English), curtain fig (English), Chinese banyan (English)
Synonym
Ficus microcarpa , var. latifolia (Miq.) Corner
Ficus nitida , auct.
Ficus retusa , auct.
Urostigma accedens , var. latifolia Miq.
Similar species
Summary
Ficus microcarpa is a woody plant species that is native to the Asia-Pacific region. Commonly known as Chinese banyan and the laurel fig, it is a popular ornamental tree that grows in tropical and temperate regions of the world. F. microcarpa has small, tiny seeds that are easily spread by birds, bats and rodents, and which are capable of germinating almost anywhere they land - even in cracks in concrete. F. microcarpa is considered to be a major invasive species in Hawaii, the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Florida, Bermuda and Central down to South America.
Notes
Ficus microcarpa specific pollinator wasps (Parapristina verticillata) have also been introduced to areas where F. microcarpa is cultivated, both intentionally (to aid the spread of the tree beyond cultivation) and unintentionally. F. microcarpa can also be propogated via cuttings and air layers. (Nadel & Frank 1992; Starr et al. 2003).

Principal source:

Compiler: IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) with support from the Overseas Territories Environmental Programme (OTEP) project XOT603, a joint project with the Cayman Islands Government - Department of Environment

Review:

Publication date: 2010-06-08

Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Ficus microcarpus. Downloaded from http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Ficus+microcarpus on 20-04-2024.

General Impacts
Ficus microcarpa can easily propogate on many surfaces, including on walls of buildings, on bridges, any cracks in concrete, and in the crevices of trees. If it is not removed F. microcarpa can cause structural damage to concrete and buildings, and will eventually strangle the host tree if it is growing as an epiphyte. F. microcarpa is a fast growing tree, and can also outshade native plant species. (KEW 2010; Wingate & Greene 2009).
Management Info
Ficus microcarpa is particularly susceptible to triclopyr herbicides, if applied as a basal or stump treatment. Small plants can be removed by hand, though they have a tendency to resprout. Plants growing on structures and as epiphytes should be treated when young, to prevent damage to the host structure or the eventual strangling of the host tree. (Starr et al. 2003; Wingate & Greene 2009).
Countries (or multi-country features) with distribution records for Ficus microcarpus
ALIEN RANGE
NATIVE RANGE
  • australia
  • bhutan
  • cambodia
  • china
  • christmas island
  • india
  • indonesia
  • japan
  • lao people's democratic republic
  • malaysia
  • micronesia, federated states of
  • myanmar
  • nepal
  • new caledonia
  • palau
  • papua new guinea
  • philippines
  • solomon islands
  • sri lanka
  • taiwan
  • thailand
  • viet nam
Informations on Ficus microcarpus has been recorded for the following locations. Click on the name for additional informations.
Lorem Ipsum
Location Status Invasiveness Occurrence Source
Details of Ficus microcarpus in information
Status
Invasiveness
Arrival date
Occurrence
Source
Introduction
Species notes for this location
Location note
Management notes for this location
Impact
Mechanism:
Outcome:
Ecosystem services:
Impact information
Ficus microcarpa can easily propogate on many surfaces, including on walls of buildings, on bridges, any cracks in concrete, and in the crevices of trees. If it is not removed F. microcarpa can cause structural damage to concrete and buildings, and will eventually strangle the host tree if it is growing as an epiphyte. F. microcarpa is a fast growing tree, and can also outshade native plant species. (KEW 2010; Wingate & Greene 2009).
Red List assessed species 0:
Locations
BERMUDA
Mechanism
[1] Competition
Outcomes
[1] Environmental Ecosystem - Habitat
  • [1] Reduction in native biodiversity
[1] Environmental Species - Population
  • [1] Reduces/inhibits the growth of other species
Management information
Ficus microcarpa is particularly susceptible to triclopyr herbicides, if applied as a basal or stump treatment. Small plants can be removed by hand, though they have a tendency to resprout. Plants growing on structures and as epiphytes should be treated when young, to prevent damage to the host structure or the eventual strangling of the host tree. (Starr et al. 2003; Wingate & Greene 2009).
Locations
JAPAN
Management Category
Prevention
Bibliography
14 references found for Ficus microcarpus

Management information
IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)., 2010. A Compilation of Information Sources for Conservation Managers.
Summary: This compilation of information sources can be sorted on keywords for example: Baits & Lures, Non Target Species, Eradication, Monitoring, Risk Assessment, Weeds, Herbicides etc. This compilation is at present in Excel format, this will be web-enabled as a searchable database shortly. This version of the database has been developed by the IUCN SSC ISSG as part of an Overseas Territories Environmental Programme funded project XOT603 in partnership with the Cayman Islands Government - Department of Environment. The compilation is a work under progress, the ISSG will manage, maintain and enhance the database with current and newly published information, reports, journal articles etc.
O Connor, Rhon, 2008. Anguilla Invasive Species strategy (2008) draft
Summary: Available from: http://www.gov.ai/documents/Anguilla%20Invasive%20Species%20Strategy%202008%20(2).pdf [Accessed 3 April 2010]
General information
Department of Conservation Services, Government of Bermuda, 2007. Indian Laurel (Ficus microcarpus)
Summary: Available from: http://www.conservation.bm/indian-laurel/ [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Farache, Fernando H. A.; do O, Vanessa T.; Pereira, Rodrigo A. S., 2009. New Occurrence of non-Pollinating Fig Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in Ficus microcarpa in Brazil. Neotropical Entomology. 38(5). SEP-OCT 2009. 683-685
Summary: Available from: [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Figueiredo, Rodolfo Antonio De Motta Junior, Jose Carlos; Vasconcellos, Luis Augusto Da Silva, 1995. Pollination, seed dispersal, seed germination and establishment of seedlings of Ficus microcarpa, Moraceae, in southeastern Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Biologia. 55(2). 1995. 233-239.
Gordon, Doria R. 1998. Effects of invasive, non-indigenous plant species on ecosystem processes: Lessons from Florida. Ecological Applications 8:975�989.
Kato, H., K. Hata, H. Yamamoto and T. Yoshioka, 2006. Effectiveness of the weed risk assessment system for the Bonin Islands. Pages 65-72. In Koike, F., Clout, M.N., Kawamichi, M., De Poorter, M. and Iwatsuki, K. (eds), Assessment and Control of Biological Invasion Risks. Shoukadoh Book Sellers, Kyoto, Japan and IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 2006.
Summary: Available from: http://www.conabio.gob.mx/invasoras/images/0/0e/Koikeetal2006.pdf#page=74 [Accessed 26 July 2010]
KEW, 2010. UK Overseas Territories Programme: Bermuda
Summary: Available from: http://www.kew.org/science/ukots/Pages/bermuda2ai.htm [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Nadel, H., J. H. Frank, and R. J. Knight, Jr. 1992. Escapees and accomplices: the naturalization of exotic Ficus and their associated faunas in Florida. Florida Entomologist 75: 29�38.
Summary: Available from: http://brokert10.fcla.edu/DLData/EN/EN00000003/EN00154040/75_1/98p0930r.pdf [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Starr, F., Starr, K. and Llpyd Loope, 2003. Ficus microcarpa Chinese banyan Moraceae
Summary: Available from: http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/reports/pdf/ficus_microcarpa.pdf [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Sugiura, Shinji; Yamaura, Yuichi; Makihara, Hiroshi, 2008. Biological invasion into the nested assemblage of tree-beetle associations on the oceanic Ogasawara Islands. Biological Invasions. 10(7). OCT 2008. 1061-1071.
Summary: Available from: [Accessed 26 July 2010]
USDA-ARS, 2010. Ficus microcarpa L. f. Chinese banyan. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
Summary: Available from: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FIMI2 [Accessed 26 July 2010]
USDA-NRCS, 2010. Ficus microcarpa L. f. Chinese banyan. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 September 2010). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Summary: Available from: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FIMI2&mapType=nativity&photoID= [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Wingate, David & Lisa Greene, Bermuda, Published: June 4. 2009. Know your land - Indian laurel is choking the locals
Summary: Available from: http://www.royalgazette.com/rg/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d9623730030003§ionId=146 [Accessed 26 July 2010]
Contact
The following 0 contacts offer information an advice on Ficus microcarpus
Ficus microcarpus
rong shu, Vorhang-Feige, figueira-lacerdinha, laurel-da-�ndia, laurel fig, Malay banyan, curtain fig, Chinese banyan
Date assessed
Year published
Eicat category
Justification for EICAT assessment
Confidence rating
Mechanism(s) of maximum impact
Countries of most severe impact
Description of impacts
Assessor
Contributors
Reviewers
Recommended citation
(2024). Ficus microcarpus. IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT).