Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Ficus benghalensis L. (MORACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Indian Banyan, Banyan Tree

Description

Large strangling fig to 20 m tall, spreading crown with abundant aerial roots, spreading to 100 m or more. The aerial roots turning woody forming pillar-like prop roots once reaching the ground. Leaves hairy, ovate to elliptic, 2-6 cm long, coriaceous. Figs sessile, in axillary pairs, globose, 1.5-2 cm diameter, ripening pinkish red, hairy.


Ecology

Lowland forest.

Distribution

Widespread in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Uses

Fruits are edible, widely cultivated as ornamental in tropics and elsewhere.