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Banyan
A banyan, also spelled "banian",[1] is a fig that begins its life as an
Banyan (also Banian)
epiphyte,[2] i. e. a plant that grows on another plant, when its seed
germinates in a crack or crevice of a host tree or human edifice. "Banyan" Big Banyan Tree at
often specifically denominates Ficus benghalensis (the "Indian banyan"), Bangalore.jpg
which is the national tree of the Republic of India,[3] though the name has
Banyan with characteristic
also been generalized to denominate all figs that share a common life cycle
and used systematically in taxonomy to denominate the subgenus
adventitious prop roots
Urostigma.[4] Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
Contents (unranked): Eudicots
1 Characteristics (unranked): Rosids
2 Etymology Order: Rosales
3 Classification
Family: Moraceae
4 In horticulture
5 In culture Genus: Ficus
5.1 Religion and mythology
Subgenus: Urostigma
5.2 Notable specimens
5.3 Other Species
5.4 See also
Species include:
6 References
7 External links F. aurea

F. benghalensis

F. citrifolia
Characteristics
F. elastica
Like other fig species, including the common edible fig Ficus carica,
F. macrophylla
banyans bear multiple fruit in structures denominated "syncarps". The
syncarp of Ficus species supplies shelter and food for fig wasps and, in F. microcarpa
turn, the trees are totally dependent on the fig wasps for pollination. F. pertusa

Frugivore birds disperse the seeds of banyans. The seeds are small, and F. retusa
because most banyans grow in woodlands, a seedling that germinates on
F. rubiginosa
the ground is unlikely to survive. However, many seeds fall on the
F. tinctoria
branches and stems of other trees or on human edifices, and when they
germinate they grow roots down toward the ground and consequently may
envelop part of the host tree or edifice. For this reason banyans bear the colloquial name "strangler fig". A number of
tropical banyan species that compete for sunlight, especially of the genus Ficus, exhibit this strangling habit.[5][6][7]

The leaves of the banyan tree are large, leathery, glossy, green, and elliptical. Like most figs, the leaf bud is covered by
two large scales. As the leaf develops the scales abscise. Young leaves have an attractive reddish tinge.[8]

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Older banyan trees are characterized by aerial prop roots that mature into thick, woody trunks, which can become
indistinguishable from the primary trunk with age. Old trees can spread laterally by using these prop roots to grow
over a wide area. In some species, the prop roots develop over a considerable area that resembles a grove of trees, with
every trunk connected directly or indirectly to the primary trunk. The topology of this massive root system inspired the
name of the hierarchical computer network operating system "Banyan VINES".

In a banyan that envelops its host tree, the mesh of roots growing around the latter eventually applies considerable
pressure to and commonly kills it. Such an enveloped, dead tree eventually decomposes, so that the banyan becomes a
"columnar tree" with a hollow, central core. In jungles, such hollows are very desirable shelters to many animals.

Etymology
The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India, where early travellers observed that the
shade of the tree was frequented by Banyans (Indian traders).[9]

In the Gujarati language, banya means "grocer or merchant", not "tree". The Portuguese picked up the word to refer
specifically to Hindu merchants, and passed it along to the English as early as 1599 with the same meaning. By 1634,
English writers began to tell of the banyan tree, a tree under which Hindu merchants conducted their business. The
tree provided a shaded place for a village meeting or for merchants to sell their goods. Eventually, "banyan" became
the name of the tree itself.

Classification
The original banyan, F. benghalensis, can grow into a giant tree covering several hectares. Over time, the name
became generalized to all strangler figs of the Urostigma subgenus. The many banyan species include:

Ficus microcarpa, which is native from Sri Lanka through New Caledonia, is a significant invasive species
elsewhere.
The Central American banyan (Ficus pertusa) is native to Central America and northern South America, from
southern Mexico south to Paraguay.
The shortleaf fig (Ficus citrifolia) is native to southern Florida, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and South
America south to Paraguay. One theory is that the Portuguese name for F. citrofolia, os barbados, gave Barbados
its name.
The Florida strangler fig (Ficus aurea) is also native to southern Florida and the Caribbean Islands, and
distinguished from the above by its coarser leaf venation.
The Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla) and Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa) are other related species.

In horticulture
Due to the complex structure of the roots and extensive branching, the banyan is used as a subject specimen in penjing
and bonsai. The oldest, living bonsai in Taiwan is a 240-year-old banyan tree housed in Tainan.[10]

In culture

Religion and mythology

Banyan trees figure prominently in several Asian and Pacific religions and myths, including:

The banyan tree is the national tree of India. It is also called Indian or Bengal fig. This tree is considered sacred in
India and can be seen near a temple or religious center. It is a big tree and gives shade to travelers in very hot
summer months. An old custom offers worship to this tree.
In Hinduism, the leaf of the banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the god Krishna.

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In the Bhagavat Gita,

Early stages of a strangler fig on a
host tree in the Western Ghats,
India
Krishna said, "There is a
banyan tree which has its
roots upward and its
branches down, and the
Vedic hymns are its
leaves. One who knows
this tree is the knower of
the Vedas." (Bg 15.1)
Here the material world is Looking upward inside a strangler
described as a tree whose fig where the host tree has rotted
roots are upwards and away, leaving a hollow, columnar
branches are below. We tree
have experience of a tree
whose roots are upward: if
one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he
can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down.
The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly,
this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The
material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there
is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can
understand that there is substance and reality.

The banyan tree is also considered sacred and is called vat vriksha (IAST vaa vka, )
in Sanskrit, in Telugu known as: ; marri chettu, in Kannada language known as:
'Alada mara' and in Tamil known as: ' ' ; ala maram. The god Shiva as
Dakshinamurthy is nearly always depicted sitting in silence under the banyan with rishis at
his feet. It is thought of as perfectly symbolizing eternal life due to its seemingly unending
expansion.

In spoken Marathi, the tree is known as vad (), derived from the original Sanksrit word vaa for the tree.
Married Marathi women observe a fast called Vat Savitri Vrat for the well-being and long life of their husband.
Tying a thread around the banyan or vat tree is an important part of the ritual.[11]
In modern parlance in the Hindi language, it is known as bargad, vatavriksh, and barh.
In Buddhism's Pali canon, the banyan (Pali: nigrodha)[12] is referenced numerous times.[13] Typical metaphors
allude to the banyan's epiphytic nature, likening the banyan's supplanting of a host tree as comparable to the way
sensual desire (kma) overcomes humans.[14]
The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees () are banyan, and are a popular shrine in Hong Kong. They are
located near the Tin Hau Temple in Lam Tsuen.
In many stories of Philippine mythology, the banyan (locally known as balete or balite) is said to be home to a
variety of spirits (diwata and engkanto) and demon-like creatures (among the Visayans, specifically, the dili ingon
nato, meaning "those not like us"). Maligno (evil spirits, from Spanish for 'malign') associated with it include the
kapre (a giant), duwende (dwarves), and the tikbalang (a creature whose top half is a horse and whose bottom
half is human).[15] Children at a young age are taught never to point at a fully mature banyan tree for fear of
offending the spirits that dwell within them, most especially when they are new to the place. Filipinos always
uttered a respectful word or two to the spirits in the banyan tree when they are near one, walking near or around it
to avoid any harm. Nearly every Filipino believes that provoking the spirits in a banyan tree can cause one great
harm, illness, misfortune, untold suffering, and death.
In Guam, the Chamorro people believe in tales of taotaomona, duendes, and other spirits. Taotaomona are spirits
of the ancient Chamorro that act as guardians to banyan trees.[16]
In Sabah, formerly North Borneo, Nunuk Ragang or Red Banyan is traditionally considered to be the site of the
longhouse, sheltering the 10 families (immigrants from South China) who were the ancestors of present-day
kadazan-Dusun population of 555,647 (2010 census).

Notable specimens
Thimmamma Marrimanu is a banyan tree in Anantapur, located circa 35 km from town Kadiri in the state of
Andhra Pradesh, India. It is present in the Indian Botanical Gardens and is more than 200 years old. It is reported
to be the world's biggest tree with a canopy of 19,107 m2. Its branches spreads over 8 acres, hence it was
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recorded as the biggest tree in the Guinness Book of World Records

in 1989.
One of the largest trees, the Great Banyan is found in Kolkata, India. It
is said to be more than 250 years old.
Another such tree, Dodda Alahda Mara, is found in the outskirts of
Bangalore, India; it has a spread of circa 2.5 acres.[17]
One of the most famous banyan trees, Kabirvad was planted on an
island in a river in Bharuch, Gujarat, India. Records show that
Kabirvad is more than 300 years old.
Another famous banyan tree was planted in Jaipur district of Thimmamma Marrimanu
Rajasthan. Records show that it is more than 200 years old.
Maui, Hawaii has a banyan tree planted by William Owen Smith in
1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square. It has grown to cover two-thirds of
an acre.[17]
In rural parts of India, many villages and towns have a traffic circle and a
community gathering place around a big banyan tree. At night, many
people come to sit, relax, and chat around it. Usually, a small deity is
placed and worshipped at its foot.
Ta Prohm in the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia boasts giant
banyans growing around and through its walls.
Several banyans grow near downtown Hilo, Hawaii, United States. Some
of them were planted by celebrities in the 20th century and form Banyan
Drive. Large banyan tree in Punjab,
Banyans occur in areas of Australia such as the Daintree Rainforest in Pakistan
Tropical North Queensland. Well known is the Curtain Fig Tree on the
Atherton Tablelands.
Thomas A. Edison planted the first banyan tree in the continental United States in Fort Myers, Florida, in an
attempt with Henry Ford to find a more cost-effective way to produce rubber for car tires. The tree, originally only
4 feet (1.2 m) tall, now covers one acre of the estate.
One large banyan tree, Kalpabata, is inside the premises of Jagannath Temple in Puri. It is considered sacred by
the devotees and is supposed to be more than 500 years old.[18]
A large banyan tree lives in Cypress Gardens, at the Legoland theme park located in Winter Haven, Florida. It
was planted in 1939 in a 5-gallon bucket.[19]

Other
The banyan is part of the coat of arms of Indonesia. It is meant to
symbolize the unity of Indonesia - one country with many far-flung roots.
As a giant tree, it also symbolizes power. Soeharto used it as a logo for
his party, the Golongan Karya (Golkar), taking advantage of the deeply
rooted belief of his fellow-countrymen and women in the sacred (sakti)
nature of the banyan.
The Economist magazine features an opinion column covering topics
pertaining to Asia named "Banyan".[20]
In southern Vanuatu, the clearings under banyan trees are used as
traditional meeting places. The quarterly newsletter of the British Friends
of Vanuatu Society is named Nabanga, after the local word for banyan.[21]
The Banyan Tree is the name of one of the most fiendishly difficult rooms
in the 1984 ZX Spectrum game Jet Set Willy.[22]
The coat of arms of Indonesia

See also
Bodhi Tree
The Great Banyan

References
1. "Banian" (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/banian). Dictionary.com. Random House. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

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2. Laman, Timothy G. (1995). "The Ecology of Strangler Fig Seedling Establishment". Selbyana. 16 (2): 2239.
JSTOR 41759910 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41759910).
3. "National Tree" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160213035748/http://www.archive.india.gov.in/knowindia/national_
symbols.php?id=5). Know India. Government of India. Archived from the original (http://www.archive.india.gov.in/k
nowindia/national_symbols.php?id=5) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
4. Note the use of "Banyan" versus "banyan" in Athreya, Vidya R. (July 1997). "Nature Watch: Trees with a
Difference: The Strangler Figs" (http://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/002/07/0067-0074). Resonance. Indian
Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru. 2 (7): 6774.; also "Aerial-Rooting Banyan Trees" (https://web.archive.org/web/
20070904203747/http://depts.washington.edu/tc596jan/samoa/playground/banyans.php?r=n). Natural History
Guide To American Samoa. University of Washington. Archived from the original (http://depts.washington.edu/tc5
96jan/samoa/playground/banyans.php?r=n) on 4 September 2007.
5. Zhou Zhekun; Gilbert, Michael G. (2003). "Moraceae". In Zhengyi Wu; Raven, Peter H.; Deyuan Hong. Flora of
China (https://web.archive.org/web/20060901100148/http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume05/Moraceae.p
df) (PDF). Volume 5. pp. 2173. ISBN 1-930723-27-X. Archived from the original (http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/chin
a/mss/volume05/Moraceae.pdf) (PDF) on 1 September 2006.
6. Serventy, Vincent (1984). Australian Native Plants. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed. ISBN 0-7301-0020-0.
7. "Light in the Rainforest" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090529233702/http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p00820
ar.pdf) (PDF). Tropical Topics. Vol. 1 no. 5. Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage. 1992. p. 1.
Archived from the original (http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p00820ar.pdf) (PDF) on 29 May 2009..
8. "The Banyan Tree" (http://www.thelovelyplants.com/the-banyan-tree/). The Lovely Plants. 14 September 2010.
9. Yule, Henry; Burnell, Arthur Coke (1903). Crooke, William, ed. Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-
Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive (https://arch
ive.org/stream/hobsonjobsonagl02croogoog#page/n116/mode/1up) (New ed.). London: J. Murray. p. 65.
10. "Small Is the Old Big" (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2005/09/22/2003272719). Taipei Times. 22
September 2005.
11. "Significance of Vat Savitri Puja" (http://www.hindu-blog.com/2007/05/significance-of-vat-savitri-puja.html). Hindu
Blog.
12. Pali Text Society, London (192125). Rhys Davids, T. W.; Stede, William, eds. The Pali Text Society's Pali-English
dictionary (http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:96.pali). Chipstead. p. 355, entry
"Nigrodha,". Retrieved 22 November 2008.
13. See, for instance, the automated search of the SLTP ed. of the Pali Canon for the root "nigrodh" which results in
243 matches "Search term 'Nigrodh' found in 243 pages in all documents" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081202
012916/http://www.bodhgayanews.net/pitakaresults.php?title=&start=0&to=10&searchstring=Nigrodh).
Bodhgayanews.net. Archived from the original (http://www.bodhgayanews.net/pitakaresults.php?title=&start=0&to
=10&searchstring=Nigrodh) on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
14. See, e.g., SN 46.39, "Trees [Discourse]," trans. by Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000), Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A
Translation of the Sayutta Nikya (Boston: Wisdom Publications), pp. 1593, 1906 n. 81; and, Sn 2.5 v. 271 or
272 (Fausbll, 1881, p. 46 (http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe10/sbe1034.htm)).
15. Magdalena, Fred. "About the Mysterious Balete Tree" (https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocitie
s.com/fredmagdalena/balete.html&date=2009-10-25+22:22:36). BONSAIpinoy (Blog). Archived from the original
(http://www.geocities.com/fredmagdalena/balete.html&date=2009-10-25+22:22:36) on 26 October 2009.
16. "Ghost stories: Taotaomona, duendes and other spirits inhabit Guam" (http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti
cle?AID=/20071028/LIFESTYLE/710280325/1024/CUSTOMERSERVICE02). Pacific Daily News. Guam. 28
October 2007.
17. John R. K. Clark (2001). Hawai'i place names: shores, beaches, and surf sites (http://www.ulukau.org/elib/cgi-bin/l
ibrary?c=cpn&l=en). University of Hawaii Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-8248-2451-8.
18. "Attractions of Jagannath Temple, Temples inside Jagannath Temple, Kasi Biswanath Mandira, Koili Baikuntha" (h
ttp://www.shreekhetra.com/sriinner.html).
19. "LEGOLAND Florida The Belle of Theme Parks" (http://thevacationgals.com/legoland-florida-the-belle-of-theme-p
arks/). 20 October 2011.
20. "In the shade of the banyan tree" (http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13446191).
The Economist. 8 April 2009.
21. Home Page (http://www.british-friends-of-vanuatu.com/)

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22. "CRASH 4 - Jet Set Willy" (http://www.crashonline.org.uk/04/jetset.htm).

External links
Stranglers and Banyans (https://web.archive.org/web/20070518225344/http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ploct99.ht
m), palomar.edu
Plant Cultures: Banyan tree history and botany (http://www.plantcultures.org.uk/plants/banyan_landing.html),
plantcultures.org.uk

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