Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

Ficus coronata

Moraceae

Sandpaper Fig or Creek Sandpaper Fig

Description

The branches and leaves of this small tree are densely hairy and rough. The round figs are also hairy, turning purple purple-black when mature, ripening in January through to June.

Where it is found

The Sandpaper Fig grows along creeks, in rainforest and open country and occasionally in sheltered rocky areas. In New South Wales the fig is found on the coast, tablelands and western slopes. It also occurs in Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Uses

  • The tasty fig is best when ripe and with the hairy outer skin removed. Native figs form part of the diet of many groups of Aboriginal people throughout mainland Australia. All figs are edible but some taste much better than others. Some figs are eaten raw, while others are pounded into a paste and mixed with water and honey.
  • Sap from the plant can be applied to wounds to promote healing.
  • Rough leaves can be used as sandpaper.
  • The Aboriginal people of the Sydney region at the yellow fruits of the Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) raw or in a cake. The wood of this species was also used for shield-making (Turbet 1989).

The leaf’s very, very coarse like sandpaper. Then the fruit’s a darky red colour or off-brownish colour, it’s ready to eat.
Ruth Simms

Further information

Click here for further information on Ficus coronata.

Ficus coronata
The delicious fruit of the Sandpaper Fig (Ficus coronata) is eaten raw when it is ripe. The rough leaves can be used as sandpaper.

Ficus-coronata
Ficus coronata: leaves and fruit, habit.

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