Common Name: Sandpaper Fig

General Information

Ficus coronata is a shrub to small tree, sometimes growing up to 15 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its tasty fruit, as well as being used medicinally and as a source of materials. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a hedge.
Ficus coronata is widespread and common throughout its range and has no major threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

Cut stems exude a milky latex that can cause skin irritation[].

Botanical References

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Range

Eastern Australia - central eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria.

Habitat

In or near rainforests by the coast and adjoining plateaux[]. Grows in a wide range of habitats, occurring along creeks, in rainforest and open country, and occasionally in sheltered rocky areas[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Wasp
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Ficus coronata is not very cold hardy and does not tolerate frosts very well, especially when a young plant[].
Prefers an open position in a moist soil, tolerating poor soils and poor light conditions[].
Plants have an aggressive root system that can cause issues with buried pipes, plumbing, concrete paths and structural foundations, and thus should be planted well away from buildings and buried facilities[].
As with all Ficus species, this species produces an inverted inflorescence called a syconium. This is a specialised structure that in the case of most figs, can only be fertilised, and thereby ripened, by the pollinating actions of a particular co-dependant species of fig wasp[]..

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. Very sweet and tasty[, ]. The purple-black fruit is around 20mm long, 10mm wide, and covered in fine hairs[, ]. It is best to remove the outer skin[].

Medicinal

The milky latex of young shoots is used to heal wounds[], and the bark is used to make a poultice[]. See also notes on known hazards.

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants are tolerant of heavy pruning and can be shaped to form a hedge[].

Other Uses

A string is made from the fibrous bark[].

The leaves of this species are very rough (scabrous), hence the name Sandpaper fig[]. They were used traditionally for the final smoothing and polishing of weaponry and implements[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[].
Cuttings from the growing tip of stems usually root easily.