Ficus benghalensis

Ficus benghalensis
F. benghalensis shoot in Karnataka, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Urticales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Species:	F. benghalensis
Binomial name
Ficus benghalensis L.
Synonyms
Ficus indica L.

Ficus benghalensis, also known as Bengal fig, Indian fig, East Indian fig, Indian Banyan or simply Banyan, also borh, nyagrodha and wad or Vad/Vat or Peral, is a species of banyan endemic to Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. It can grow into a giant tree covering several hectares. Ficus benghalensis produces propagating roots which grow downwards as slender vine. Once these roots reach the ground, they take root and grow into woody trunks that can become indistinguishable from the main trunk.

The figs are eaten by birds and mammals. Fig seeds are dispersed by birds such as the Indian Mynas and studies have shown that seeds that pass through the digestive system of the bird are more likely to germinate as well as sprout earlier.^[1]

Large specimens

The Great Banyan in the Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, is considered to be one of the largest trees in the world in terms of area covered.

On the banks of the Nerbudda stood a celebrated specimen, supposed to be that described by Nearchus, the admiral of Alexander the Great. This tree once covered an area so immense, that it was known to shelter no fewer than 7000 men, and though much reduced in size by the destructive power of floods, the remainder was described by James Forbes (1749-1819) in his Oriental Memoirs (1813-1815) as nearly 2000 ft. in circumference, while the trunks large and small exceeded 3000 in number.^[2]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ficus benghalensis

• Bar or Bargad Ficus benghalensis L., hort.purdue.edu

Gallery

Illustration Of Ficus benghalensis	leaf & ripe figs in Hyderabad, India.	trunk in Hyderabad, India.	in Hyderabad, India.
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea Female looking for ripe figs in Hyderabad, India.

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