strangler fig

/ˌstræŋg(ə)lər fɪg/

Other forms: strangler figs

Definitions of strangler fig

1. noun

   a strangler tree native to southern Florida and West Indies; begins as an epiphyte eventually developing many thick aerial roots and covering enormous areas
   synonyms: Ficus aurea, Florida strangler fig, golden fig, wild fig

   type of:

   fig tree

   any moraceous tree of the tropical genus Ficus; produces a closed pear-shaped receptacle that becomes fleshy and edible when mature
2. noun

   a common tropical American clusia having solitary white or rose flowers
   synonyms: Clusia major, Clusia rosea, pitch apple

   type of:

   strangler, strangler tree

   an epiphytic vine or tree whose aerial roots extend down the trunk of a supporting tree and coalesce around it eventually strangling the tree