Ficus rubiginosa, the Port Jackson fig, is a species of flowering plant
native to eastern Australia. Beginning as a seedling that grows on other
plants (hemiepiphyte) or rocks (lithophyte), it matures into a tree
30 m (100 ft) high and nearly as wide with a yellow-brown buttressed
trunk. The leaves are oval and glossy green and measure from 4 to
19.3 cm (1 1⁄2–7 1⁄2 in) long and 1.25 to 13.2 cm
(1⁄2–5 1⁄4 in) wide. The fruits are small, round and yellow, and
can ripen and turn red at any time of year, peaking in spring and
summer. The fruit is known as a syconium, an inverted inflorescence with
the flowers lining an internal cavity. F. rubiginosa is exclusively
pollinated by the fig wasp species Pleistodontes imperialis. Many
species of bird, including pigeons and parrots, eat the fruit. Ranging
along the Australian east coast from Queensland to Bega in southern New
South Wales, F. rubiginosa grows in rainforest margins and rocky
outcrops. It is used as a shade tree in parks and public spaces, and
when potted is well-suited for use as an indoor plant or in bonsai.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_rubiginosa>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1657:
Citizens of New Netherland presented the Flushing Remonstrance
to Director-General Peter Stuyvesant, requesting an exemption to his ban
on Quaker worship.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flushing_Remonstrance>
1831:
Aboard HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin left Plymouth, England, on
what became a historic expedition to South America that made his name as
a naturalist.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_HMS_Beagle>
1916:
German Togoland, occupied by the Allies in World War I, was
partitioned between Britain and France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togoland>
1966:
The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the
world, in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, was first descended.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Swallows>
2007:
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was
assassinated while she was leaving a political rally of Pakistan Peoples
Party supporters at Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
spuriosity:
1. (rare) Spuriousness.
2. (rare) That which is spurious; something false or illegitimate.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spuriosity>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we have faith in each other Then we can be Strong, baby I will
be your father figure Put your tiny hand in mine I will be your preacher
teacher Anything you have in mind I will be your father figure I have
had enough of crime I will be the one who loves you … 'Til the end of
time.
--George Michael
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Michael>