species: Ficus macrophylla
common name: Moreton Bay fig
family: Moraceae
where & when encountered: Santa Barbara, CA - 2010
Another Australian import to California, this one is named for a bay in Queensland but native to much of the Australian east coast. The specimen seen here, located near the Santa Barbara train station, is said to be the largest in the U.S. with a width of 176 feet and a height of 80 feet. The story goes that the seedling for this tree was given to a girl by a sailor in 1876. In addition to its impressive size and age, it is a particularly striking tree.
It is a very cool tree. Also nice is the one in Ventura decked out with lights for Christmas.
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