Ficus dammaropsis

Native to the highlands of New Guinea, this small tree grows about thirty-three feet tall in mountain forests, secondary growth and abandoned garden plots. Its very large, deeply pleated leaves have heart-shaped bases. The figs are among the largest in the genus and are covered by overlapping bracts. Tiny flowers line their hollow interiors and are pollinated by fig wasps. In highland New Guinea, young leaves are cooked as vegetables, and larger leaves are used to cover food in earth ovens. Photographed in Florida.