The seeds of a Strangler Fig germinate high on the branches of other rainforest trees and send down aerial roots.

When these reach the ground, they take root, thicken and gradually enclose the original tree, stealing its sunlight, nutrients and space. The host tree eventually dies and rots away, leaving a fig tree with a hollow trunk.

The pollinator of this species is a fig wasp (Pleistodontes nigriventris), and these wasps have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with strangler figs. The wasp uses the tree to lay eggs into its ostioles, while the tree uses the wasp for pollination.