It is not a forest, it is not an expanse of trees. It is alone, so to speak, the Great Banyan Tree, in the Indian Botanical Garden of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose. A huge green creature, so large that it is often mistaken for a forest. In fact, it covers an area of almost 19 thousand square meters
It is not a forest, it is not an expanse of trees. It is alone, so to speak, the Great Banyan Tree, in the Indian Botanical Garden of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose. A huge green creature, so large that it is often mistaken for a forest. In fact, it covers an area of almost 19 thousand square meters.
It is not by chance that it is considered the largest tree in the world. His age is not known, no one knows exactly when he was born due to the lack of official documents. However, botanists estimate that he is at least 250 years old. The earliest references to the tree were found in travel writings dating back to the XNUMXth century.
This splendid specimen of Ficus benghalensis has overcome many difficulties, sometimes coming out damaged but always alive. Not only did it survive two major cyclones in 1864 and 1867, but its main trunk was infected with a deadly fungus. This could have put his life at risk in 1925 as the main trunk had to be removed to save him.
And he managed to overcome that too. Despite having gone through such a major intervention, the Great Banyan Tree has proven to be resilient and continues to thrive to this day. Thanks to the thousands of aerial roots that stretch from the branches of the tree and descend into the ground, they become as many stems. This intricate structure gives the illusion that it is a collection of trees, not a single specimen.
The secret of this exceptional development therefore lies in this ability to create aerial roots, which over time become indistinguishable from the original stem. Figs, which as is typical of the genus are simultaneously fruits and flowers of the banyan, are small (1-2 cm) and contain seeds that germinate more easily if eaten by mammals or birds. An advantage for the species and for the local fauna.
"In 30 years, the Great Banyan Tree has grown over two hectares", explains Arabinda Pramanick, director of the botanical garden. "The first border was built around the tree in 1985 and the second in 2015. We have an open space around it for it to grow further."
Caring for this huge tree isn't easy. This is done by 13 people, who make sure it stays healthy and also "train" the roots to grow properly:
“West of the tree is housing and pollution, so the tree is growing east, towards the sunlight. This is called photoperiodism, ”added MU Sharief, joint director of the Botancial Survey of India.
A miniature forest with a dense canopy, enriched with ferns and orchids, providing shelter for mongooses and birds.
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Francesca Mancuso
