The Strangler Fig, or Ficus watkinsiana to give its proper latin name, is a strange tree of the rainforest, with an interesting method of survival.
By using an adult tree as its host, the strangler fig avoids competition for light and nutrients at ground level. Its fruit (the fig, containing the seed) is tasty to birds and monkeys, so encouraging the seed to be desposited high in a tree's branches. From there, it sends long thin roots down the side of the tree to the ground to secure a supply of water and nutrients. It also grows upwards from the seed, reaching the sunlight available at the forest canopy before any other tree can do so growing from the forest floor. Eventually, the roots from the strangler fig become so thick to surround the original tree and kill it.
