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Fig Pollinators At Palomar College 2 (More Images))
© W.P. Armstrong Updated 15 February 2025
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Pollination & Dispersal Of Australian Figs At Palomar College
Pollination By Fig Wasps & Dispersal By Birds
Fig Wasps & Viable Seed Production

It is well established that some fig wasps enter the syconia and pollinate other species of Ficus. In fact, this may be happening on the campus of Palomar College, particularly in the wasp genus Pleistodontes. Some authorities have speculated that host-sharing and host-switching by fig wasps may have lead to the enormous number of fig species. In host-sharing multiple fig species share the same pollinator wasp, while in host-switching a pollinator wasp evolves to use a different fig species as its primary host. When fig wasps pollinate a different fig species, they introduce a haploid set of chromosomes from pollen parent resulting in hybridization and genetic variation in resulting seeds, one of the evolution pathways leading to speciation. Because image-laden Wayne's Word pages load so slowly, I decided to create a second page of images dedicated to pollination & seed production of fig species, a significant topic in fig biology with some fascinating evolution implications.

  Pollination of Ficus carica on Special Coevolution Fig Page  


Table Of Contents

    Subgenus Urostigma Section Conosycea

    1.   Indian Laurel Fig (Ficus microcarpa)

    Subgenus Urostigma Section Malvanthera

    2.   Rustyleaf Fig (Ficus rubiginosa)
    3.   Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)
    4.   Banana Fig (Ficus pleurocarpa)

Indian Laurel Fig (Ficus microcarpa)

Rustyleaf Fig (Ficus rubiginosa)

Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)

Banana Fig (Ficus pleurocarpa)

Ficus pleurocarpa syconium. The center contains pollen-bearing anthers of male flowers. The outer drupelets are the fruits from old female flowers that have passed their receptive pollination stage. This is a good example of protogyny where the female flowers mature before male flowers, thus insuring cross pollination. The drupelets consist of a hard pericarp wall surrounding an endocarp layer. Most endocarps are hollow (seedless); however, some were pollinated and contain a minute seed.

Ficus pleurocarpa syconium. The center contains pollen-bearing anthers of male flowers that are almost ready to dehisce and shed pollen. The outer drupelets are the fruits of female flowers that have long since passed their receptive pollination stage (protogyny).

Magnified views of Ficus pleurocarpa syconium showing hair-lined wasp entrance (ostiole) and pollen-bearing anthers just inside ostiole.

The actual ripened ovary or fruit within the fig syconium is a tiny fruitlet technically called a drupelet. In Ficus pleurocarpa some of these contain a minute seed within the endocarp layer.

Magnified view of Ficus pleurocarpa syconium showing hollow (empty) drupelet, pollen from male flowers (anthers) and 2 minute seeds. 15x, Bausch & Lomb dissecting microscope.

Another magnified view of Ficus pleurocarpa syconium showing drupelets, some of which contain a minute seed. In my opinion, this is evidence that some female flowers were pollinated during their receptive stage.

How Small Are Banana Fig Seeds--See Next Image!