Description
This single Hill’s Weeping Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii) is located in a central island mulched planter bed and was probably planted mid 1930’s. Its canopy extends over the roadway and footpaths. This fig is likely to have an extensive root zone. The tree measures approximately, height 18 metres, with a prodigious canopy spread of 30 metres and trunk diameter of 1.0 metre at one metre above the ground. The fig appears to be in good health and condition with a relatively dense canopy and minimal pruning.
Significance
This single Hill’s Weeping Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii) is a visually prominent specimen of dramatic form and impact in this busy intersection. It has local significance in terms of visual and social values and is comparable in age and structure to the Hill’s Weeping Fig avenue in Hyde Park (c.1930).
Historical notes
This Hill’s Weeping Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii) is comparable in age and structure to the Hill’s Weeping Fig avenue in Hyde Park (c.1930). Review of the 1943 aerial photo of this area reveals two young trees planted in this location the northern most one assumed to be the Fig and the southern one assumed to be the Kaffir Plum (Harpephyllum caffrum). The fig has been the dominant and faster growing tree at the expense of the Kaffir Plum.
These figs are an important historical component throughout the City of Sydney LGA and have been used extensively in public street and park planting schemes since the Inter-War period (c.1915-1940). They continue a lush, native evergreen/ broadleaf theme consistent with earlier nineteenth century fig planting schemes.
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