The Banyan Tree Fanlisting

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A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma. The seeds of banyans are dispersed by fruit-eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig". The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest species, particularly of the genus Ficus, that compete for light. Any Ficus species showing this habit may be termed a strangler fig.

Older banyan trees are characterized by their aerial prop roots which grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. The largest such tree is now found in Kolkata in India. One of the most famous of banyan trees was planted in Kabirvad, Gujarat. Records show that Kabirvad is more than 300 years old. Another famous banyan tree was planted in 1873 in Lahaina's Courthouse Square in Hawai'i, and has now grown to cover two-thirds of an acre.

Like other Fig species (which includes the common edible fig Ficus carica), banyans have unique fruit structures and are dependent on fig wasps for reproduction. Banyan, Ficus benghalensis or the Indian Fig Tree is the National tree of India.

Etymology:
The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India where early travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by banias or Indian traders.

In the Gujarati language, banyan means "merchant," not "tree." The Portuguese picked up the word to refer specifically to Hindu merchants and passed it along to the English as early as 1599 with the same meaning. By 1634, English writers began to tell of the banyan tree, a tree under which Hindu merchants would conduct their business. The tree provided a shaded place for a village meeting or for merchants to sell their goods. Eventually banyan came to mean the tree itself.

Scienticic Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae. Division: Magnoliophyta. Class: Magnoliopsida. Order: Urticales. Family: Moraceae. Genus: Ficus. Subgenus: Urostigma.

The proper noun Banyan refers specifically to the species F. benghalensis, which can grow into a giant tree covering several hectares. Over time, the name became generalized to all strangler figs. There are many banyan species, including:

Ficus microcarpa, which is native from Sri Lanka through New Caledonia and is a significant invasive species elsewhere.
The Central American Banyan (Ficus pertusa) is native to Central America and northern South America, from southern Mexico south to Paraguay.
The Shortleaf Fig (Ficus citrifolia) is native to southern Florida, 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 its name.
The Florida Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) is also native to southern 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.

Source: Wikipedia's Banyan Page.

Wikipedia's page on Banyans

Stanglers and Banyans: Information with pictures from Wayne's Word

Banyan's on Plant Cultures.org. Culture, uses, etc...

Banyan definition from Merriam-Webster

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The repeating background images were made by me. The source images are copyright free and came from CGTextures.com. The fonts came from dafont.com. The header image, and banners, came from a google search, which does not entitle me to use them, but they're gorgeous (and I'm an a-hole,) so I did the wrong thing and didn't track down the owners to ask if it was okay. If I used something of yours, and you would like credit for it, or for me to remove it, I would be quite happy to do either. I used Photoshop and Dreamweaver to make the site. The information about Banyans came from Wikipedia.