Something about the banyan trees compels many of us to pause and gaze for a bit longer. They may appear to be old, aged beings due to their magnificent gnarled roots and enormous size. Another possibility is that they enhance a scene with drama and splendour, possibly the tales and legends that surround them. Whatever the justification, their attraction makes it difficult to resist being drawn in.
India’s national tree is the banyan, one of the 750 kinds of fig (Ficus Benghalensis). They are everywhere in the nation, inhabiting both urban and forest environments. With their soaring prop roots extending far and wide, these trees, which are among the largest in the world, certainly make their presence known. The world’s largest tree, The Great Banayan, can be found at Howrah, which is close to Kolkata.
The Banyan Tree Of India
A banyan tree is a type of fig that often grows from a seed sown in a host plant crack. Ficus Benghalensis, a member of the Ficus subgenus Urostigma, is often known as the banyan tree or Indian banyan. However, the term “banyan” has gained enough popularity that it is now taxonomically used to refer to the other 9 species in the Urostigma subgenus.
The banyan tree is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent. It is considered sacred in India and the country’s national tree. The aerial roots that grow downward and the trees’ largest canopy covering on Earth are what make them famous. Birds, in particular, eat the figs that the tree produces, and by doing so, they assist the fig seeds to germinate more quickly once they have been digested.
In addition to being the national tree of India, the banyan is mystical in its natural state and the source of many myths, stories, and folk tales. The fig (Ficus Benghalensis) variety that makes up the Indian banyan tree sprouts from seeds that fall on other trees, houses, or other man-made structures.
These trees completely surround and kill their host plants after being pollinated by fig wasps. They are also referred to as strangler figs for this reason. In the natural world, life and death coexist as animals and birds seek refuge in the hollows the host plant’s decomposition has left behind. This tree can be found all over the nation, in both urban and natural settings.
The aerial prop roots of banyans stretch out laterally, increasing in thickness and area covered, making them among the largest trees in the world overall. One tree, though, surpasses all records, and it is located close to Kolkata, West Bengal. It is a unique ecosystem and garden that is home to a wide variety of wildlife.
The World’s Biggest Banyan Tree
India is home to the world’s biggest banyan tree, which can be found inside the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden. The West Bengal state, close to the city of Kolkata, is where this garden may be found (formerly known as Calcutta). It is assumed that this enormous life form, also known as the Great Banyan Tree, is at least 250 years old.
Although its actual date is uncertain, it is assumed to be about this age because it is mentioned in some tour guides from the 19th century. The Great Banyan is one of the world’s widest trees, with a canopy that spans over 4 acres (16,187 square metres) and expands yearly. A person would presume that the tree is a little forest if they observed it from a distance.
The aerial roots of the Great Banyan Tree, which number about 3,000, appear to be distinct trees but are actually just that. Due to a protracted fungal infection brought on by two storms that struck India in the late 19th century, the tree’s main trunk had to be removed in 1925. The tree’s remaining clonal colony has maintained good health despite losing its 51-foot (15.7 metres) wide trunk.
In order to allow visitors to drive around the tree and take in the complete scene, a 330-metre (0.2 miles) long road was constructed. The Great Banyan has grown beyond the road, providing cars with a sort of shaded tunnel as proof of its unceasing development. The tree is so well-known in India that it has been immortalised on postage stamps and draws more tourists than the actual botanic park, which houses rare flora worldwide.
Information On and History of the Great Banyan Tree
From the nineteenth century onwards, numerous travel publications have mentioned the Great Banyan tree. Early travel authors noted its size and exceptionally high concentration of prop trunks as significant factors.
With parts of its main branches shattered, it endured three powerful cyclones in 1864, 1867, and 2020. The Great Banyan is considered to look less like a single tree and more like a dense forest due to its extensive aerial roots, which protrude from the branches and extend vertically to the ground.
The tree is still alive despite losing its main stem in 1925 due to rot. A memorial to the deceased boot has been built close to the tree’s centre, but few people ever enter the dense inner network of roots and branches, making it difficult for visitors to reach the marker. Most visitors choose to stay outside the tree’s perimeter.
The tree occupies a space of approximately 18,918 square metres (about 1.89 hectares or 4.67 acres). The tree’s current crown measures 486 metres in circumference, and its tallest branch soars to a height of 24.5 metres. It currently has 3772 aerial roots acting as prop roots that descend to the ground. Its height is nearly the same as that of the Gateway of India.
The Botanical Gardens In Kolkata
The earliest botanical gardens in India are those in Kolkata, which Colonel Robert Kyd opened in 1786. The British East India Company employed him as an officer. It wasn’t done back then to give inhabitants a pleasure garden or for any amorous motives. It was developed to grow novel “tropical” plants and profit from their market worth! Like trading in spices and teak wood!
One of the greatest accomplishments was the introduction of tea cultivation from China, which was later transferred to places like Assam. Consequently, the largest export from India began in these same gardens. William Roxburgh, a botanist who was appointed caretaker of the gardens in 1793, was another important figure in the creation of the landscape.
He continued by introducing other plants that came from all around India. More than 2 million dried herb specimens are housed at the Herbarium he also founded. On the grounds, his previous home is visible as a ruin. During the British Raj, it was referred to as the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta, but following independence, it was dubbed the “India Botanical Garden”.
As a result of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, a scientist, being honoured as the new name for the garden, it is now known as Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden.
The Bottom Line
The Great Banyan is, without question, a unique tree. A forest that is really just one enormous tree is a true wonder of nature. The tree is more popular with tourists than the natural botanic park, which holds rare plants worldwide and is so well-known in India.
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