Banyan 228192 223915814 2008-07-06T14:17:22Z Alethiaxx 2402129 {{otheruses1|the tree}} {{Taxobox | name = Banyan | image = Banyan botanical c1800-1830.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Illustration of ''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Urticales]] | familia = [[Moraceae]] | genus = ''[[Ficus]]'' | subgenus = '''''(Urostigma)''''' | subgenus_authority = | subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] | subdivision = Many species, including: *''[[Ficus aurea|F. aurea]]'' *''[[Ficus benghalensis|F. benghalensis]]'' *''[[Strangler Fig|F. citrifolia]]'' *'' [[Moreton Bay Fig|F. macrophylla]]'' *''[[Ficus microcarpa|F. microcarpa]]'' *''[[Ficus pertusa|F. pertusa]]'' *''[[Port Jackson Fig|F. rubiginosa]]'' {{Verify source|date=November 2007}}<!-- this article should - if it makes sense - be about the subgenus; non-Urostigma banyans can be discussed as s per "and see text" --> }} A '''banyan''' is a [[Ficus|fig]] that starts its life as an [[epiphyte]] when its [[seeds]] germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host [[tree]] (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species ''[[Ficus benghalensis]]'', though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and [[biological systematics|sytematically]] to refer to the [[subgenus]] '''''Urostigma'''''<ref>Note usage of "Banyan" versus "banyan" in {{PDF|[http://www.ias.ac.in/resonance/July1997/pdf/July1997NatureWatch.pdf "Trees with a Difference: The Strangler Figs"]|61.0&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 62466 bytes -->}} by Vidya R Athreya, ''Nature Watch'', July 1997; also [http://depts.washington.edu/tc596jan/samoa/playground/banyans.php?r=n "Aerial-rooting banyan trees"], washington.edu</ref> The seeds of banyans are dispersed by [[frugivore|fruit-eating]] birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of [[Strangler Fig|"strangler fig"]]. The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest species, particularly of the genus ''Ficus'', that compete for light.<ref>Zhekun, Zhou & Michael G. Gilbert (2003) Flora of China (Moraceae) 5: 21-73. [http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume05/Moraceae.pdf]</ref><ref>Serventy, V. 1984. Australian Native Plants. Victoria: Reed Books.</ref><ref>Light in the rainforest 1992 Tropical topics. Vol 1 No. 5 [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p00820ar.pdf]</ref> Any ''Ficus'' species showing this habit may be termed a strangler fig. Older banyan trees are characterized by their [[Aerial root|aerial prop root]]s which grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. The largest such tree is now found in [[Kolkata]] in India. One of the most famous of banyan trees was planted in Kabirvad, Gujarat. Records show that Kabirvad is more than 300 years old. Another famous banyan tree was planted in 1873 in [[Lahaina|Lahaina's]] Courthouse Square in [[Hawaii|Hawai'i]], and has now grown to cover two-thirds of an acre. Like other Fig species (which includes the common edible fig ''[[Ficus carica]]''), banyans have unique fruit structures and are dependent on [[fig wasp]]s for reproduction. Banyan, [[Ficus benghalensis]] or the Indian Fig Tree is the [[National tree]] of [[India]] <ref name="National Symbols of India">{{cite web| url=http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_tree.php| title=National Tree| publisher= [[Government of India]]| accessdate=2009-04-29}}</ref>. ==Etymology== The name was originally given to ''[[Ficus benghalensis|F. benghalensis]]'' and comes from [[India]] where early travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by ''[[Vanika|banias]]'' or Indian traders.<ref>Yule, Henry, Sir. Hobson-Jobson: A glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive. New ed. edited by William Crooke, B.A. London: J. Murray, 1903.</ref> In the Gujarati language, banyan means "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 would conduct their business. The tree provided a shaded place for a village meeting or for merchants to sell their goods. Eventually banyan came to mean the tree itself. Today, the banyan is considered sacred in India and Pakistan, where it represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches. ==Classification== [[Image:Strangler fig kerala.jpg|right|thumb|Early stages of a strangler fig on a host tree in the [[Western Ghats]].]] The proper noun '''Banyan''' refers specifically to the species ''[[Ficus benghalensis|F. benghalensis]]'', which can grow into a giant tree covering several [[hectare]]s. Over time, the name became generalized to all strangler figs. It appears that "banyan" is the more common term in Asia, Australia and Oceania, while "strangler fig" is more often used in the Americas and Africa.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} There are many banyan species, including: *''[[Ficus microcarpa]]'', which is native from [[Sri Lanka]] through [[New Caledonia]] and 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'', "Los 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. ==Ornamental Value== Due to the complex structure of the roots and extensive branching, the banyan is extensively used for creating [[Bonsai]]. Taiwan's oldest living bonsai is a 240-year-old banyan housed in Tainan. == In culture == ;Religion and mythology [[Image:Ficus macrophylla011.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Ficus macrophylla]]'' in the [[Orto botanico di Palermo]], [[Italy]]]] * In [[Hindu]] religion, the banyan tree is considered sacred and is called "Ashwath Vriksha" ("I am Banyan tree among trees" - Bhagavad Gita). It represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches. * In [[Hindu]] mythology, the banyan tree is also called [[kalpavriksha]] meaning 'wish fulfilling divine tree'. In modern parlance in the [[Hindi]] language, it is known as Bargad, Vatavriksh, and Barh. *In many stories of [[Philippine Mythology]], the banyan, (locally known as balite) is said to be home to a variety of spirits and demon-like creatures (among the Visayans, specifically, ''dili ingon nato'',meaning "things not like us"). Maligno (Mystical creatures) associated with it include the [[kapre]] (a giant), [[dwende]] (dwarves), and especially the [[tikbalang]] (a creature whose top half is a horse and whose bottom half is a human). <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/fredmagdalena/balete.html Balete Tree<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * In [[Guam]], '[[Chamorro people]] believe in tales of [[taotaomona]], [[duende (mythology)|duende]]s and other spirits. Taotaomona are spirits of the ancient Chamorro that act as guardians to banyan trees.<ref>[http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/LIFESTYLE/710280325/1024/CUSTOMERSERVICE02 Guampdn.com, Ghost stories: Taotaomona, duendes and other spirits inhabit Guam]</ref> ;Locations [[Image:Banyan tree Old Lee County Courthouse.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Banyan of undetermined species in [[Fort Myers, Florida]]]] * City of [[Vadodara]] in western [[India]] is named after Banyan Tree. * [[Ta Prohm]] in the [[Angkor Wat]] temple complex of [[Cambodia]] is well known for the giant banyans that grow up, around and through its walls. * Several banyans can be found near downtown Hilo, Hawaii. Some of them were planted by celebrities throughout the 20th century and form the [[Banyan Drive]]. * Strangler figs also occur in areas of Australia such as the Daintree rainforest in [[Tropical North Queensland|Queensland's far north]]. Well known is the [[Curtain Fig Tree]] on the [[Atherton Tableland]]s. * The first banyan tree in the U.S. was planted by [[Thomas Alva Edison]] in [[Fort Myers, Florida]]. It was given to Edison by [[Harvey Firestone]] after Firestone visited India in 1925 and was planted in the [[Edison and Ford Winter Estates]]. The tree, originally only {{convert|4|ft|m}} tall, now covers {{convert|400|ft|m}}. ;Fiction * [[Robinson Crusoe]], in the 1719 novel by [[Daniel Defoe]] makes his home in a banyan tree. * [[Brian Aldiss]], in his novel ''Hothouse'', describes a future Earth where a single huge banyan covers half of the globe, because individual trees discover the ability to join together, as well as drop [[adventitious]] roots. * On the Steely Dan album "Aja", the title track includes the lyrics: "Chinese music under banyan trees / Here at the dude ranch above the sea" * In [[Stephen R. Donaldson]]'s Chronicles of [[Thomas Covenant]], he describes the giant tree-city of Revelwood being built out of a huge banyan with multiple trunks that occupies an entire valley. ;Other [[Image:Garuda Pancasila, Coat Arms of Indonesia.jpg|thumb|The [[coat of arms of Indonesia]]]] * The banyan is part of the [[coat of arms of Indonesia]]. It is meant to symbolise the unity of [[Indonesia]] - one country with many far-flung roots. * Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel use the term "banyan" to mean a spell ashore for a BBQ on some deserted beach. "Banyan Rig" denotes the casual (and often traditionally tasteless) clothes worn for these events. * The underground roots of a banyan species found in the Amazon are cut into 10 cm lengths, dried and smoked regularly to relieve pain. This practice originated in the Amazon. There are no visible side effects.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} ==References== {{reflist}} In reliogion and mythology section, it has been mentioned that banyan is also called as ashwaththa vriksha but, this is not entirely correct. ashwaththa vriksha is frequenctly used to refer to ficus religiosa ('Arali mara' in Kannada)and not a banyan tree even though banyan tree is also a sacred tree. We also use small twigs of ficus religiosa in certain "homa" (havan); They are called samidhas. ==External links== {{commonscat}} * [http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen7/f23-banyan-tree.html 360° panoramic photo of Banyan tree] * [http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ploct99.htm Stranglers and Banyans], palomar.edu *[http://www.plantcultures.org.uk/plants/banyan_landing.html Plant Cultures: Banyan tree history and botany], plantcultures.org.uk [[Category:Ficus]] [[Category:National symbols of India]] [[Category:Flora of India]] [[Category:Flora of Pakistan]] [[Category:Flora of Indonesia]] [[Category:Flora of Bangladesh]] [[Category:Trees of the Caribbean]] [[Category:Trees of Florida]] [[Category:Trees of Central America]] [[Category:Trees of South America]] [[Category:Flora of the Maldives]] [[Category:Flora of the Philippines]] [[de:Banyan-Feige]] [[es:Baniano]] [[fr:Figuier des Banyans]] [[ms:Pokok Jejawi]] [[cdo:Sṳ̀ng-chéu (Hók-ciŭ chê-chéu)]] [[ja:ガジュマル]] [[no:Banyan]] [[pl:Figowiec bengalski]] [[sq:Ficus benghalensis]] [[sk:Figovník bengálsky]] [[fi:Banian]] [[sv:Banyan]] [[te:మర్రి]] [[vi:Cây đa]] [[to:ʻOvava]] [[uk:Баньян]] [[zh:榕亞屬]]