Top 10 Facts About Banyan Tree

A banyan, often written “banian,” is a tree that develops as an epiphyte, or plant that develops on some other plant, when its seed germinates in a crack or fissure of a host tree. Trees have formed our globe, impacted culture, and can aid in the preservation of life on Earth. Here are ten interesting things about the banyan tree.

The banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is one of over 750 fig tree variety each of which is fertilized exclusively by its species of small wasps that breed only inside the figs of its companion trees.

Strangler figs are banyans. They develop from seeds that fall from other trees. Their roots suffocate their hosts and develop into stout, branch-supporting structures that imitate new tree trunks.

The Indian Botanical Garden in Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, is home to India’s largest Banyan tree. It is around 25 meters tall and has a canopy cover of over 420 meters, with about 2000 aerial roots.

In terms of surface area, banyans are the world’s largest trees. The largest one that still exists today is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It has a total area of 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) and can house 20,000 people.

Banyan fruits are both nutritious and healthy. They are also used to relieve body discomforts and edema.

Banyans have been utilized as a resource of medicine for thousands of years. People in Nepal now employ banyan leaves, bark, and roots to treat over a dozen ailments.

Alexander the Great and his troops were the first Europeans to come into contact with Banyan Trees when they arrived in India in 326 BC.

Hundreds of revolutionaries were hung on the branches of the Banyan tree under British control in India.

The banyan tree’s leaves are huge, elliptical, and shiny. Young leaves have a lovely reddish tint.

Hindus hold the Banyan tree in high regard. It is also referred to as ‘Bargad,’ ‘Vata’ Irish,’ and ‘Barh.’