Ficus benghalensis seeds grow into the banyan tree — the national tree of India and one of the most extraordinary trees in the world, native to the seasonally dry tropical biome of the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal). Not to be confused with F. religiosa (the sacred Bodhi tree), the banyan is celebrated for an entirely different reason: the production of aerial prop roots that descend from branches to the ground, each forming a new trunk — allowing a single tree to expand laterally almost without limit to create the widest tree canopy on earth. The Great Banyan of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden in Kolkata covers over 18,900 m² and is estimated to be over 250 years old. India's national tree. Family Moraceae.Full sun; fast-growing in tropical and subtropical conditions; adaptable to a range of soils; important shade tree across South Asia. Aerial prop roots descend from branches to form new trunks — the 'banyan' growth strategy Can become the widest tree canopy on earth; the Great Banyan covers 18,900 m² Indian Subcontinent — seasonally dry tropical biome; India's national tree NOT the sacred fig (F. religiosa/Bodhi tree) — a completely different species Full sun; fast-growing; tropical to subtropical; important shade and sacred tree; Family Moraceae Ficus benghalensis is the banyan — one of the most extraordinary trees in nature, whose aerial-root expansion strategy and capacity to become the world's widest tree canopy have made it India's national tree and a symbol of immortality and eternal growth across the entire Indian subcontinent. IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.
