Common Name: Banyan

General Information

Ficus benghalensis is an evergreen tree with a wide, spreading crown; it can grow 20 - 30 metres or more tall. The plant usually begins life as an epiphyte, growing in the branch of another tree; as it grows older it sends down aerial roots which, when they reach the ground quickly form roots and become much thicker and more vigorous. They supply nutrients to the fig, allowing it to grow faster than the host tree. The aerial roots gradually encircle the host tree, preventing its main trunk from expanding, whilst at the same time the foliage smothers the foliage of the host. Eventually the host dies, leaving the fig to carry on growing without competition. It can become a very large, spreading tree in time, with some specimens several hundred metres across and producing aerial roots from the spreading branches that eventually become new trunks and allow the crown to spread even further[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruit and medicinal uses. It also supplies a timber and a material for tying. The tree is considered sacred by Hindus and is commonly planted for religious purposes, it is also grown as an ornamental and to provide shade along roads as well as in parks and large gardens[, , ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Indian subcontinent.

Habitat

Monsoon and rain forests[]. Evergreen to deciduous lowland forest[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wasps
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations from 500 - 1,200 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 36°c, but can tolerate 9 - 40°c[]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -2°c or lower, but young growth will be severely damaged ay -1°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 500 - 4,000mm[].
Young plants are quite shade tolerant, but require increasing amounts of sunshine as they grow larger[]. Prefers a fertile, light to medium soil[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 - 8.5[].
The tree has become naturalized in northeastern Australia, where it is deemed to be invasive[].
A fast-growing tree[].
Fig trees have a unique form of fertilization, each species relying on a single, highly specialized species of wasp that is itself totaly dependant upon that fig species in order to breed. The trees produce three types of flower; male, a long-styled female and a short-styled female flower, often called the gall flower. All three types of flower are contained within the structure we usually think of as the fruit.
The female fig wasp enters a fig and lays its eggs on the short styled female flowers while pollinating the long styled female flowers. Wingless male fig wasps emerge first, inseminate the emerging females and then bore exit tunnels out of the fig for the winged females. Females emerge, collect pollen from the male flowers and fly off in search of figs whose female flowers are receptive. In order to support a population of its pollinator, individuals of a Ficus spp. Must flower asynchronously. A population must exceed a critical minimum size to ensure that at any time of the year at least some plants have overlap of emmission and reception of fig wasps. Without this temporal overlap the short-lived pollinator wasps will go locally extinct[].

Edible Uses

Ripe fruit - raw[]. A sweetish flavour[]. Relished by children[]. Generally only eaten when better foods are not available[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves are used to remedy dysentery and diarrhoea[]. They are used in a decoction with toasted rice as a diaphoretic[].
The young leaves are heated and used as a poultice[]. They are applied to abscesses as a poultice to promote suppurations and discharge of pus[].

The concentrated latex, combined with the fruit, is aphrodisiac and is used to treat spermatorrhoea and gonorrhoea[]. Mixed with sugar, it is used as a treatment for dysentery in children[].
The milky latex in the plant is applied topicaly to treat toothache, bruises, painful areas, rheumatic joints and lumbago[, ]. It is dripped into wounds in order to kill or expel germs, and is applied to treat bleeding and swelling of the gums[].

The bark is tonic and diuretic. An infusion is antidiabetic and a decoction is used as an astringent in the treatment of leucorrhoea[].

A decoction of the root fibres is useful as a treatment against gonorrhoea, whereas the tender ends of the aerial roots are used for obstinate vomiting[].

An infusion of the twigs is a useful remedy for haemoptysis[]. The milky latex is used against pains and fever, rheumatism and lumbago, toothache, and applied to cracked and inflamed soles[].

The fruit is tonic and has a cooling effect[].

Agroforestry Uses:

This species can be a very noxious weed in the forest, occupying a large amount of space to the exclusion of more useful species[]. Further, it is very destructive to any walls or buildings it grows near to and is extremely difficult to eradicate[].

Other Uses

The aerial roots are used for temporary binding materials[].

The bark and leaves contain tannins[].

The latex obtained from all parts of the plant can be used to produce an inferior quality rubber[].

The wood is light in weight, water-resistant[, ]. A low-quality wood, it is not suitable for general use, but it might be employed for secondary cabinet work, such as the linings of drawers and cabinets[]. It is used locally for poles, cart yokes, furniture and to line wells[].

Propagation

Seed - germinates best at a temperature around 20°c[].
Air layering[].
Tip cuttings around 4 - 12cm long, taken from lateral branches[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: what is half of 6?