A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a
fig that develops accessory trunks from
adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely.
This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a
strangler habit that begin life as an
epiphyte, i.e. a plant that grows on another plant, when its
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
germinates in a crack or crevice of a host tree or edifice. "Banyan" often specifically denotes ''
Ficus benghalensis'' (the "Indian banyan"), which is the
national tree
This is a list of national trees, most official, but some unofficial.
National trees
See also
* National emblem#Trees, National emblem
* Floral emblem
* List of U.S. state and territory trees, List of U.S. State and territory trees
References< ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, though the name has also been generalized to denominate all figs that share a common life cycle and used
systematically in
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
to denominate the
subgenus ''
Urostigma
A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
''.
Characteristics

Like other fig species, banyans bear their fruit in the form of a structure called a "
syconium
Syconium (plural ''syconia'') is the type of inflorescence borne by figs (genus ''Ficus''), formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flow ...
". The syconium of ''Ficus'' species supply shelter and food for
fig wasp
Fig wasps are wasps of the superfamily Chalcidoidea which spend their larval stage inside figs. Most are pollinators but others simply feed off the plant. The non-pollinators belong to several groups within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, while ...
s and the trees depend on the fig wasps for pollination.
Frugivore birds disperse the seeds of banyans. The seeds are small, and because most banyans grow in
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
s, a seedling that germinates on the ground is unlikely to survive. However, many seeds fall on the 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.
This is colloquially known as a "
strangler" habit, which banyans share with a number of other tropical ''Ficus'' species, as well as some other unrelated genera such as ''
Clusia'' and ''
Metrosideros''.
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.
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
A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...
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 European travelers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by ''Banyans'' (a corruption of Baniyas, a community of Indian traders).
Classification
The original banyan, ''F. benghalensis'', can grow into a giant tree covering several hectares. Over time, the name became generalized to all
strangler fig
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus ''Ficus'', including those that are commonly known as banyans. Some of the more well-known species are:
* ''Ficus altissima''
* ''Ficus aurea'', ...
s of the ''Urostigma'' subgenus. The many banyan species also include:
* ''
Ficus microcarpa'', which is native to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountai ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
China,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
,
the Malay Archipelago,
Mainland Southeast Asia,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
,
Australia,
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...
and
New Caledonia, is a significant invasive species elsewhere.
* The Central American banyan (''Ficus pertusa'') is native to
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
and northern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
, from southern
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
south to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
* The shortleaf fig (''
Ficus citrifolia'') is native to
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...
, 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
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...
its name.
* The Florida strangler fig (''
Ficus aurea'') is also native to South 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
Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...
. The oldest living bonsai in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
is a 240-year-old banyan tree housed in
Tainan
Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hi ...
.
In culture
Religion and mythology
Banyan trees figure prominently in several Asian and Pacific religions and myths, including:
* In
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...
, the leaf of the banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the god
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
.
:In the
Bhagavat Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (cha ...
, 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 described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We 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.
:
Vat Purnima is a
Hindu festival related to the banyan tree. Vat Purnima is observed by married women in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Centr ...
and in the Western Indian states of
Maharashtra,
Goa,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
. During the three days of the month of
Jyeshtha
Jyeshtha or Jyēṣṭha ( sa, ज्येष्ठ; ne, जेठ ''jēṭ''; as, জেঠ ''zeth''; or, ଜ୍ୟେଷ୍ଠ ''Jyeṣṭha'') is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Jyestha is the third mon ...
in the
Hindu calendar
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a ...
(which falls in May–June in the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...
) married women observe a fast and tie threads around a banyan tree and pray for the well-being of their husbands.
* In
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
's
Pali canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
, the banyan (Pali: ''nigrodha'') is referenced numerous times. Typical metaphors allude to the banyan's
epiphytic
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
nature, likening the banyan's supplanting of a host tree as comparable to the way sensual desire (''
kāma'') overcomes humans.
* In
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...
, the
Chamorro people
The Chamorro people (; also CHamoru) are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, si ...
believe in tales of ''
taotaomona Taotao Mo'na, also commonly written as taotaomona or taotaomo'na (Chamoru ''taotao'', "person/people" and ''mo'na'' "precede", loosely translated as "people before history" or "ancient people"), are spirits of ancient giant inhabitants believed to p ...
'',
''duende''s, and other spirits.'' Taotaomona'' are spirits of the ancient Chamorro that act as guardians to banyan trees.
* In Vietnamese mythology of the
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese language, Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and othe ...
, the
dark markings on the Moon are a banyan, a magical tree originally planted by
a man named Cuội on Earth. When his wife watered it with unclean water, the tree uprooted itself with the man hanging on it and flew to the Moon, where he eternally accompanied the
Moon Lady and the
Jade Rabbit.
* In the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, they are usually referred to as
balete trees, which are home to certain deities and spirits.
* In
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, the tree is referred to as gajumaru, which, according to traditional folklore, is the home for the mythical
Kijimuna.
List of historical banyan trees
*
Thimmamma Marrimanu is a banyan tree in
Anantapur, located circa 35 km from the town of Kadiri in the state of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It is present in the Indian Botanical Gardens and is more than 550 years old & its
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...
covers
* One of the largest trees,
the Great Banyan is found in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It is said to be more than 250 years old and covers 4.67 acres.
* Another such tree,
Dodda Aalada Mara
The Dodda Aalada Mara(ದೊಡ್ಡ ಆಲದ ಮರ), literally translated to Big Banyan Tree, is a giant approximately 400-year-old banyan tree (''Ficus benghalensis'') located in the village of Kethohalli in the Bangalore Urban district of ...
as in "Big Banyan Tree", is found in the village of Ramohalli, on the outskirts of
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
; it has a spread of circa 2.5 acres.
* The Iolani Palace banyans in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the 1880s Queen Kapiolani planted two banyan trees within the Iolani Palace grounds. These trees have since grown into large groupings of trees on the old historic palace grounds.
* Maui, Hawaii has the Banyan tree in Lahaina, Banyan Tree in Lahaina planted by William Owen Smith in 1873 in Lahaina Banyan Court Park, Lahaina's Courthouse Square. It has grown to cover two-thirds of an acre.
* One large banyan tree, Kalpabata, is inside the premises of Jagannath Temple, Puri, Jagannath Temple in Puri. It is considered sacred by the devotees and is supposed to be more than 500 years old.
* 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.
Other
* The banyan tree is depicted in the coat of arms of Indonesia as a manifestation of the third principle of Pancasila (politics), Pancasila (the unity of all of Indonesia). It is also used in the emblem of Golkar.
* ''The Economist ''magazine features an opinion column covering topics pertaining to Asia named "Banyan".
* In southern Vanuatu, the clearings under banyan trees are used as Nakamal, traditional meeting places. The quarterly newsletter of the British Friends of Vanuatu Society is named ''Nabanga'', after the local word for banyan.
* ''The Banyan Tree'' is a notoriously difficult room in the 1984 ZX Spectrum platform game ''Jet Set Willy''.
* Vadodara, a city in Gujarat, India, is literally named after Banyan trees. Banyan, locally known as ''Vad'' were found in abundance here.
* The Foggy Swamp in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' consists of a single banyan grove tree.
*On 13 December 2021, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping personally intervened to punish and demote 10 CCP officials in Guangzhou after they cut down or uprooted thousands of banyan trees.
Gallery
Image:Strangler fig kerala.jpg, Early stages of a strangler fig on a host tree in the Western Ghats, India
File:Vat Purnima image by Raju Kasambe DSCN6393 07.jpg, During Vat Purnima festival, married women tying threads around a banyan tree.
Image:Sarkaradevi Temple Ficus Tree.jpg, Ficus tree in front of Sarkaradevi Temple, Kerala, India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.
File:The great banyan tree.jpg, The Great Banyan in Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.
File:Thimmamma-marrimanu 1.jpg, Thimmamma Marrimanu
Image:Coat of Arms of Indonesia Garuda Pancasila.svg, The coat of arms of Indonesia depicts a banyan tree.
See also
* Bodhi Tree
* Midh Ranjha#Big Banyan Tree of Pakistan, Midh Ranjha tree
* The Great Banyan
References
External links
Stranglers and Banyans palomar.edu
plantcultures.org.uk
{{Taxonbar, from=Q465570
Ficus,
Sacred trees in Hinduism
Trees in Buddhism
Epiphytes
National symbols of India
Plant common names