Banyan
Banyan tree
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Urticales Family: Moraceae Genus: Ficus Subgenus: Urostigma
Species
Many; see text for examples Image File history File links Download high resolution version (508x768, 52 KB) Skildring Source: http://www. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Pteridophyta - ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... The Urticales are an order of dicotyledons in the Cronquist system of classification for flowering plants, including the following families: Barbeyaceae Cannabaceae (hemp family) Cecropiaceae Moraceae (mulberry family) Physenaceae Ulmaceae (elm family) Urticaceae (nettle family) These range from small herbaceous plants to large trees, blooming from the late spring to... Genera Antiaris Artocarpus - Breadfruit, Jackfruit Brosimum Broussonetia - Paper Mulberry Castilloa Cecropia Chlorophora Dorstenia Ficus - Fig, Banyan Maclura - Osage-orange Morus - Mulberry Musanga Pseudolmedia Streblus Treculia The flowering plant family Moraceae (Mulberry family) comprises some 40 genera and over 1000 species of plants widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less common... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese...

Banyan (genus Ficus, subgenus Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs with an unusual growth habit. They are large trees that usually start life as a seedling growing on another tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges), where a fig-eating bird has deposited the seed. The roots descend over the trunk of the host, seeking out the soil below. Once they have rooted into this, the fig roots rapidly thicken and lignify (become wooden). Where the fig roots cross each other they fuse, thus creating a lattice around the host tree trunk. The fig competes with its host for light, water and nutrients, while its roots prevent the host trunk from growing. Eventually the host dies and rots away, leaving the fig self supporting as an ordinary tree, but with a tubular lattice of lignified roots instead of a trunk. For this reason banyans are often referred to as strangler figs. Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

Banyan Tree at Melbourne Botanical Gardens

In front of the Old Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers, Florida

Another unusual feature of the banyan is its ability to produce adventitious roots from the branches. This characteristic of developing aerial roots allows a single tree to spread over a large area. One famous banyan tree was planted in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in Hawai'i, and has grown to now cover two-thirds of an acre. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1067x1600, 686 KB) Banyan tree at Melbourne Botanical gardens File links The following pages link to this file: Banyan ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1067x1600, 686 KB) Banyan tree at Melbourne Botanical gardens File links The following pages link to this file: Banyan ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Old Lee County Courthouse The Old Lee County Courthouse (constructed in 1915) is a historic site in Fort Myers, Florida, located at 2120 Main Street. ... Fort Myers is the county seatGR6 and commercial center of Lee County, Florida. ... Adventitious, in botany, refers to structures that develop in an unusual place, and in medicine, it refers to conditions acquired after birth. ... Lahaina is a census-designated place located in West Maui, Maui County. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Like other members of this genus (which includes the common edible fig Ficus carica), banyans have a unique fruit and insect mediated fertilization process; see Fig for details. Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese...

It is originally from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but has been imported in other tropical regions. It is also the national tree of India. 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 4 feet tall, now covers 400 feet. Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931) was an inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. ... Fort Myers is the county seatGR6 and commercial center of Lee County, Florida. ... Harvey Samuel Firestone (December 20, 1868 - February 7, 1938) was the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires and an important contributor to North American economic growth in the 20th century. ... The Edison and Ford Winter Estates contain a historical museum and 17-acre botanical garden on the adjacent sites of the winter homes of Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford beside the Caloosahatchee River in southwestern Florida. ...

List of species

• The Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) can grow into a giant tree covering several hectares. The Great Banyan in the Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, is reckoned to be the largest tree in the world.

• The Chinese Banyan (Ficus microcarpa), also known as the Malayan Banyan is native from Ceylon to India, southern China, the Malay Archipelago, the Ryukyu Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia.

• The Central American Banyan (Ficus pertusa) is native to Central America and northern South America, from southern Mexico south to Paraguay.

• The Strangler Fig (Ficus citrifolia) is native to southern Florida, the Caribbean Islands, Central America and South America south to Paraguay.

• 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 Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa), Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) and Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) are also banyan species.

A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ... The Great Banyan Tree has a hole in the middle where the main trunk once stood. ... World map depicting Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is a vast archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia (Indochina) and Australia. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... hi Strangler Figs are species of fig that begin their lives as epiphytes as their seed lodge in the cracks and crevices of the bark of a host tree. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... West Indian redirects here. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... West Indian redirects here. ... Binomial name Ficus religiosa L. The Sacred Fig Ficus religiosa, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), Pipal (Peepul) or Ashwattha tree, is a species of banyan fig native to India, southwest China and Indochina east to Vietnam. ... Binomial name Ficus macrophylla Desf. ... Binomial name Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ...

Trivia

• 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.
• 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, due to the fact that individual trees discover the ability to join together, as well as drop adventitious roots.
• Ta Prohm in the Ankor Wat temple complex is well known for the giant Banyans that grow up, around and through its walls.
• Banyan is also a rock band formed by Stephen Perkins (drums), Mike Watt (bass), Nels Cline (guitar) and Willie Waldman (trumpet) plus two dozens of guests including Flea, John Frusciante and Buckethead. The music sounds more jazz-rock than their alternative-indie rock seeds could indicate.
• 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.
• In Hindu religion, the banyan tree is considered sacred and is called 'Ashwath Vriksha' ('I am Banyan tree among trees' - Bhagavad Geeta). It represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches.
• Royal Australian Navy personnel use the term "Banyan" to mean a spell ashore for a BBQ on some deserted beach.
• Banyan tree is mentioned in the Steely Dan song Aja. "Under the banyan tree, here at the dude ranch above the sea."

The Coat of Arms of Indonesia is called Garuda Pancasila. ... Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719 and sometimes regarded as the first novel in English. ... Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (1660 [?] â€“ April 1731) was an English writer, journalist and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. ... Brian Aldiss at 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005. ... Adventitious, in botany, refers to structures that develop in an unusual place, and in medicine, it refers to conditions acquired after birth. ... Face tower on the fifth western gopura. ... Aerial view of Angkor Wat The main entrance to the temple proper, seen from the eastern end of the Naga causeway Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. ... Banyan Drive, Hilo, Hawaii, is also known as the Hilo Walk of Fame. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Steely Dan is an American rock band centered around the core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. ... Aja may refer to An Orisha in Yoruba mythology. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Banyan

• Plant Cultures: Banyan tree history and botany