10 
The species is very largely cultivated in New South Wales, and the plants 
display a considerable amount of variation. Tor example, there is an entirely 
glabrous form in the Sydney Botanic Gardens, which has been labelled F. lucida for 
many years. I can find no authority for this name, and it should he called 
F. rubiginosa, Dcsf., var. lucida, Hort. Syd. 
Leaves. —The Moreton Bay Pig (F. macrophylla, Best.) is an excellent 
fodder plant, cattle and horses eating the leaves, young twigs and figs with great 
zest. Por further particulars, see Agricultural Gazette, 1893, page 609, and 1891, 
page 206. 
The Small-leaved Pig (F. rubiginosa, Dcsf.) is less used for this purpose, 
probably because it is less frequently planted, but it appears to be of equal value as 
a fodder plant, and doubtless other of our native figs may be put to similar uses. I 
have known cows fed all the year round on leaves and figs which dropped from these 
trees. 
Flowers. —The structure of the inflorescence of Ficus can be ascertained by 
the student by reference to most text-books in which the common edible fig (Ficus 
Carica) is dealt with. There are excellent figures, for example, in Kerner and 
Oliver, ii, 157. Those who have the opportunity should refer to Sir George King’s 
magnificent work on “ The species of Ficus of the Indo-Malayan and Chinese 
countries,” in the Annals of the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta. The flowers 
of F. rubiginosa are depicted on our plate. 
Prillts. —At page 8 Bentham calls the fruit of a fig a Synoecium, Kerner 
and Oliver a Synconium, Prantl and Tines and Warming and Potter a Synconus. 
The “Pig” consists of the fleshy axis of the inflorescence, which is deeply concave, 
and on the inner surface of which the minute flowers (which later on develop into 
aclienes or “ seeds ”), are borne. The cavity at the end of the fig farthest away 
from the stalk is enclosed by small bracts. The name Receptacle seems to 
be as descriptive and as convenient as any to apply to the “Pig.” The fruits of 
F. rubiginosa, which are full of seed, were an article of food of the Port Jackson 
natives, but the early colonists found them “very nauseous.” Mr. C. Hedley states 
that they are eaten by the Port Curtis (Q.) blacks. 
Fibre. —The fibre of the root of this tree is of great durability, and is used 
by the aborigines in the fabrication of their scoop fishing-nets. The inner bark 
forms a loose fabric taken off carefully. A similar fibre is produced, and more 
abundantly, by F. macrophylla. 
Trunk. —This and other figs in our northern forests have plank-like or 
buttress-like expansions of the stem, near the root, which are sometimes as deep as 
