Lions and tigers and bears – and other animal predators – aren’t the only killers in nature. Some plants also make their living by killing. One of the most unusual of these is the Strangler Fig, which grows in tropical forests.
Its uniqueness is apparent even from infancy. For example, Strangler Figs almost never start life on the ground – and if they do, they will never become killer trees. Only those that sprout high in the air can live up to their name.
The seeds of Strangler Figs are spread far and wide by monkeys and birds which enjoy the sweet fruit, but cannot digest the seeds. These seeds are equipped with a sticky coating, which helps them stick wherever they land. But only those that land in debris-filled crotches of tree limbs are likely to germinate, because only in decaying litter will enough bacteria be found to attack the tough outer casing of the seed. This casing must be destroyed before the seed can sprout, and it is no accident that this occurs just where the baby plant can find a store of rich nutrients on which to feed.
As it feeds on this aerial compost pile in which it sprouted, the new Strangler Fig begins sending down roots, seeking to establish contact with the ground. Not until this contact is made, and the fig is able to take up water and nutrients through these aerial roots, will the Strangler begin its upward quest for precious sunlight.
It might seem that the Strangler Fig handicaps itself by having to invest so much energy in growing downward, before it can start stretching up. But actually, the fig is well ahead of its competition by starting high in the air. At that level, it already has much more sunlight to grow on than is available on the ground.
Once the fig reaches the upper canopy of the forest, it begins growing in earnest. It does this by dropping still more roots to the ground. As these become more numerous, they eventually touch each other, and when this happens they begin to fuse together.
Thus, over a long period of time, the Strangler Fig spreads a living girdle around the trunk of the host tree. In time, this girdle becomes a coffin, for the growing fig trunk-of-roots gradually crushes the life our of the host tree imprisoned within. With the passage of yet more time, the remains of the host rots away, and the cavity is filled by the still-expanding root-trunk of the fig.
A mature Strangler Fig can live for a very long time, and may become the biggest tree in its part of the forest. And, ironically, Stranglers sometimes become the only survivors when man clears away the forest. The wood of Strangler Figs is useless for lumber, so they are often left as shade trees.
These fig trees are extremely popular with many forms of animal life. The fruit attracts many kinds of birds and monkeys, which harvest it in the treetops. In addition, wild pigs and ground-dwelling rodents eat whatever falls to the ground. Many small animals and insects make nests in the countless cavities lift in the trunk when the roots do not perfectly fuse together.
Thus, if we had to decide whether the Strangler Fig was a villain or hero, we would probably have difficulty in making up our minds. The truth is, this killer tree is neither villain nor hero, but simply a part of nature. It does what it does because it fills a particular role in nature. We should neither laud nor condemn it.
Instead we should recognize it: Recognize that it is another witness to us that God Almighty created and maintains our world. The Strangler Fig would tell us, if it could, how it was uniquely fashioned to fill its niche in the world’s ecology. It would remind us that only a wise Creator could keep its roots from becoming dry and dead during their prolonged search for the ground. It would also assert that only a deliberate design would provide its seed with a tough outer casing which must be dissolved by bacteria before germination can begin – thus ensuring that a rich supply of nourishment will be at hand for the emerging sprout.
And, if a tree could quote Scripture as well as speak, it would doubtless recall the Apostle Paul’s word to the people of long ago, “…God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them; who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:15-17)
God has many witnesses. Let us hear from the witness of the Strangler Fig.
But there is another needed lesson in the fig. Jesus Christ used a different type of fig tree for a lesson on the meaning of life. He told a parable (Luke 13:6-9) about a barren fig tree, which the owner determined to cut down in order to make room for a productive tree. But the gardener pleaded for another chance for the fig tree. He wished to fertilize it, and see if that would help it produce fruit the next season. If not, he said, then it would be time to cut it down.
The serious question Jesus raised with His simple parable is whether or not we are productive in our lives. The barren fig tree may represent us. The Bible says we were given life on earth in order to do the works which God prepared for us from the beginning of time (see Ephesians 2:10). Are we doing those works?
Before we can even begin to do the work to which God has called us, we must know that we are truly His children. And that can only be when we draw near to Him, through faith in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. As the Bible says: “There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!” (Acts 4:12)
(All Scripture is quoted from the World English Bible translation.)