How a fig turns a perch into a foothold
A strangler fig’s seed may land in a fork of a tree rather than in soil. There, the seedling can live as an epiphyte—a plant growing on another plant—while it gets established. Its roots grow downward through the air, following the trunk and branches until they reach the ground. Once rooted in soil, the fig can draw up water and nutrients to support much more growth.
A living lattice closes around the host
The fig’s roots thicken as the tree grows, crossing and wrapping around the host’s trunk. The host is not food for the fig: the two compete for space and access to light, and the dense fig may eventually shade or crowd its neighbor. Meanwhile, the intertwined roots form a sturdy framework that supports the fig’s expanding crown.
Why the inside can be empty
If the host dies and decays, its wood can disappear while the fig’s root framework remains. Because those roots grew around the outside, they leave a hollow center shaped roughly like the former trunk. The result looks like a tree-shaped cage—not a shell the fig deliberately built, but the lasting outline of a once-living neighbor.
