When we visited the Tablelands near Cairns, we saw this strange sight. It's called a curtain fig and it's not something you want to make friends with. The sign in the attached picture explains how a fig seed lands in the crown of a tree and then puts down aerial roots all the way to the ground. These roots then encircle and eventually strangle the host tree. The dead tree then falls onto a nearby tree, where it leans and the fig's roots develop into this curtain-like arrangement. Eventually the host tree rots away and the fig tree is left standing by itself. Does it feel remorse for its actions? No, it doesn't give a fig. It's curtains for anything that gets in its way. (sorry, no more puns).
