Street tree in Crete ID'd by Mike Hardman himself as Ficus microcarpa

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MikeHardman

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    • www.mikehardman.com
Good folks of the MGS,

I have been trying to ID a tree on the Natural History Museum's NaturePlus forum
- http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/message/90690?fromGateway=true

I thought it was going to be a Ficus, but now that seems in doubt.

Any ideas?

Thanks for looking,
Mike
« Last Edit: December 28, 2016, 09:27:15 AM by Alisdair »
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

JayB

  • Jr. Member
Re: mystery street tree in Crete
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2016, 11:52:15 AM »
Could it possibly be a Phytolacca dioica or Ombu tree?
G'day from an Aussie in Spain. Currently attempting a total garden overhaul.

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: mystery street tree in Crete
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2016, 12:38:59 PM »
Mike, Hi there,
It looks a bit like the trees quite near here, one block from the sea.
I identified it as Ficus retusa

I had asked the owner/ planter what their name was and he told me Ροδίτικος which on searching turned out to be the above mentioned.

The photo was taken in September 2011 and they are looking very strong now.

I seem to remember some very impressive ones in the town of Cos.
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

JayB

  • Jr. Member
Re: mystery street tree in Crete
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2016, 03:04:38 PM »
The reason I suggested P. dioica was the mention of the small green berries and the tree can look like a ficus with its root system and leaves. I guess the berries could of been underdeveloped ficus fruit, they are full of lots of seeds.

I would say that the full tree does look like the trees planted in the street here which I'm sure are F. benjamina, the new pictures posted from google Earth really do look the same and they are certainly commonly used by councils at least here in Spain anyway.
That is my new guess.

F. microcarpia & retusa tend to grow out to be huge trees often with airial roots and large root systems which is why they are commonly used as bonsai for the effect. F. benjamina is regarded as a plain looking Ficus.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2016, 03:11:54 PM by JayB »
G'day from an Aussie in Spain. Currently attempting a total garden overhaul.

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MikeHardman

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    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: mystery street tree in Crete
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2016, 11:13:13 PM »
Thank you Jay.

Here in Cyprus, we have Ff. benjamina, microcarpa, elastica and lyrata (that I have seen by roadsides).

My guess happens to be F. microcarpa (less pointed leaves).
At least at the monent...

Mike

Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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MikeHardman

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    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: mystery street tree in Crete
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2016, 09:17:23 AM »
I had a short break in northern Cyprus over Christmas, and I came across some street trees looking very much like the one in question. I am sure these are Ficus microcarpa - leaves about 10cm long (6-15), some signs of aerial roots, small fruit, plain light grey bark, obtuse leaf tips, etc.

Hilary, I note that F. retusa (leaf tips different) is apparently often misapplied to F. microcarpa.

I attach photos showing Ff. microcarpa and retusa for comparison, for the benefit of future readers.

Thanks for your contributions.

Mike
« Last Edit: December 28, 2016, 10:37:02 PM by MikeHardman »
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England