Ficus benghalensis, commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian Subcontinent. Specimens in India are among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage.
Ecology
Ficus benghalensis produces propagating roots which grow downwards as aerial roots. Once these roots reach the ground they grow into woody trunks. The figs produced by the tree are eaten by birds such as the Indian myna. Fig seeds that pass through the digestive system of birds are more likely to germinate and sprout earlier.
Cultural significance
Ficus benghalensis is the national tree of India. , Chirayinkeezhu, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala The tree is considered sacred in India, and temples are often built beneath. Due to the large size of the tree's canopy it provides useful shade in hot climates. In Theravada Buddhism, this tree is said to have been used as the tree for achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi by the twenty fourth Buddha called "Kassapa - කස්සප". The sacred plant is known as "Nuga - නුග" or "Maha nuga - මහ නුග" in Sri Lanka. It is the tree under which lord Adhinath the first Jain Tirthankara attained kewal Gyan or spiritual enlightment.
Notable specimens
The giant banyans of India are the largest trees in the world by area of canopy coverage. Notable trees include:
Thimmamma Marrimanu
Kabirvad
The Great Banyan
The largest, known specimen of tree in the world in terms of the two dimensional area covered by its canopy is Thimmamma Marrimanu in Andhra Pradesh, India, which covers. This tree is also the largest, known specimen of tree in the world in terms of the length of its perimeter, which measures. Nearchus, an admiral of Alexander the Great, described a large specimen on the banks of the Narmada River in contemporary Bharuch, Gujarat, India; he may have described the specimen presently named "Kabirvad". The canopy of the specimen which Nearchus described was so extensive that it sheltered 7,000men. James Forbes later described it in his Oriental Memoirs as almost in circumference and having more than 3,000 trunks. Currently the area of its canopy is with a perimeter of. Other notable Indian specimens include The Great Banyan in the Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanic Garden in Shibpur, Howrah, which has a canopy area of and is about 250 years old, and Dodda Aladha Mara in Kettohalli, Karnataka, which has a canopy area of and is about 400 years old.
