Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff Lauren Vogelbam. Here in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, tourists flock to a botanical garden to see what, at first glance, looks like an expansive forest. Branches of green leaves create a canopy about the size of a Manhattan city block. But the most interesting thing about this collection of plant life is that it's not a collection at all. It's one massive tree, known simply as the Great Banyan tree, and all of those apparently distinct members of a forest are actually one of about three thousand, six hundred aerial roots that this single organism has put down over its two hundred and fifty years of life. If you're wondering how in the world one tree could cover some fourteen thousand, five hundred square feet of space that's about three hundred and fifty square meters, and grow branches as high as eight feet that's twenty five meters and survive over two and a half centuries, it's time to get to know a special group of trees known as banyans. Abanyons are part of the Picus or fig genus, and their history is rooted unintended in South Asia. Originally the name only referred to a single species, a Ficus bengalensis, named for the Hindu merchants and traders who conducted their business under the trees canopies. In these days, the name can refer to a number of species that fall under the not at all threatening sounding category of strangler figs. This means the trees grow from seeds that land on other trees, growing their own vines up and sending their own roots down to smother their hosts. Before the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke via email with Aaron Alvarez and Bart Schitzman, both lectures in the Environmental Horticulture department at the University of Florida. They explained these plants all start life as a seed that germinates on another tree, grows as a vine, dependent on the tree for support, and eventually strangles its host tree, subsuming its structure. Later, roots grow from outward extending branches and reach the ground, becoming trunk like and expanding the footprint of the tree, sometimes gaining it in the colloquial name of a walking tree. While Kolkatta's Great Banyon is by far the greatest of them all. A Banyons as a species dominate size wise, at least in broadness. They're the world's biggest trees in terms of the area they cover. When it comes to overall volume, however, they lose to the giant Sequoia. We've talked on the show before about the two thousand year old tree named General Sherman living in California's Sequoia National Park. That's about fifty two thousand, five hundred cubic feet and volume or about one thousand, five hundred cubic meters. The banyan is considered a particularly meaningful tree in cultures around India and other parts of the world, with rich historical and spiritual ties. In Hinduism, the banyan is associated with the god of death, Yama, and is often planted near crematoriums outside of villages, and stories say that the god Krishna stood beneath the banyan tree when he delivered the teachings of the Scripture. The Bagavad Gida Hindu texts written over two thousand, five hundred years ago, describe a cosmic world tree an upside down growing banyan that has roots in heaven and extends new growth from trunks and branches down toward earth to deliver blessings. Over the centuries, the banyan tree took on significance as a symbol of fertility, life, and resurrection. A word got around about them, and the poet John Milton wrote about Adam and Eve making their first clothes out of banyan leaves in his epic Paradise Lost. The banyan has also served as a source of medicine and food for centuries, and the bark and roots are still used today to treat a variety of maladies in Aurvedic medicine. When the British invaded India, the tree was twisted to a newly dark purpose, often used as gallows to execute rebels who resisted their rule. When India gained independence, the people reclaimed the banyan as well, making it their national tree. A Banyans are native to and thrive in what's now India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, but these days variations of the majestic trees can be found in other tropical regions, such as areas of Florida. In some places, they've even become invasive. There's also one famous species representative on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the Lahina banyan tree, planted in eighteen seventy three and presented to the sheriff in town by missionaries from India. Now forty feet or twelve meters tall, the Lahina banyan has a canopy circumference spanning a quarter mile that's about four hundred meters. Today's banyans aren't just beautiful and symbolic. The species also comes in handy for practical purposes. Alvarez and Shutsmen said this ability of tiny picus roots to become trunk like structures is used by the people of Megalaya, India to create footbridges across streams that become raging rivers during the monsoon season. They weave the tiny roots of our well known rubber tree another Ficus together to cross the streams. They enlarge and form sturdy structures that can live five hundred years or more and do not get washed away during the storms. However, although you may be tempted to grow your very own great banyan tree now that you know the unique magic of their aerial roots, they need some pretty specific conditions. Alvarez and Shutsmen said the best way to care for them is to give them plenty of space and warm, wet, humid weather. So most banyans don't make very good plants for regular home gardens. A few species have adapted to indoor environments and can be grown in bright in direct light with regular watering. However, they are not as long long lived as their relatives in the wild. Today's episode is based on the article the mighty Banyan tree can walk and live for centuries on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by Michelle Constantinofsky. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff Lauren Vogelbam. Here in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, tourists flock to a botanical garden to see what, at first glance, looks like an expansive forest. Branches of green leaves create a canopy about the size of a Manhattan city block. But the most interesting thing about this collection of plant life is that it's not a collection at all. It's one massive tree, known simply as the Great Banyan tree, and all of those apparently distinct members of a forest are actually one of about three thousand, six hundred aerial roots that this single organism has put down over its two hundred and fifty years of life. If you're wondering how in the world one tree could cover some fourteen thousand, five hundred square feet of space that's about three hundred and fifty square meters, and grow branches as high as eight feet that's twenty five meters and survive over two and a half centuries, it's time to get to know a special group of trees known as banyans. Abanyons are part of the Picus or fig genus, and their history is rooted unintended in South Asia. Originally the name only referred to a single species, a Ficus bengalensis, named for the Hindu merchants and traders who conducted their business under the trees canopies. In these days, the name can refer to a number of species that fall under the not at all threatening sounding category of strangler figs. This means the trees grow from seeds that land on other trees, growing their own vines up and sending their own roots down to smother their hosts. Before the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke via email with Aaron Alvarez and Bart Schitzman, both lectures in the Environmental Horticulture department at the University of Florida. They explained these plants all start life as a seed that germinates on another tree, grows as a vine, dependent on the tree for support, and eventually strangles its host tree, subsuming its structure. Later, roots grow from outward extending branches and reach the ground, becoming trunk like and expanding the footprint of the tree, sometimes gaining it in the colloquial name of a walking tree. While Kolkatta's Great Banyon is by far the greatest of them all. A Banyons as a species dominate size wise, at least in broadness. They're the world's biggest trees in terms of the area they cover. When it comes to overall volume, however, they lose to the giant Sequoia. We've talked on the show before about the two thousand year old tree named General Sherman living in California's Sequoia National Park. That's about fifty two thousand, five hundred cubic feet and volume or about one thousand, five hundred cubic meters. The banyan is considered a particularly meaningful tree in cultures around India and other parts of the world, with rich historical and spiritual ties. In Hinduism, the banyan is associated with the god of death, Yama, and is often planted near crematoriums outside of villages, and stories say that the god Krishna stood beneath the banyan tree when he delivered the teachings of the Scripture. The Bagavad Gida Hindu texts written over two thousand, five hundred years ago, describe a cosmic world tree an upside down growing banyan that has roots in heaven and extends new growth from trunks and branches down toward earth to deliver blessings. Over the centuries, the banyan tree took on significance as a symbol of fertility, life, and resurrection. A word got around about them, and the poet John Milton wrote about Adam and Eve making their first clothes out of banyan leaves in his epic Paradise Lost. The banyan has also served as a source of medicine and food for centuries, and the bark and roots are still used today to treat a variety of maladies in Aurvedic medicine. When the British invaded India, the tree was twisted to a newly dark purpose, often used as gallows to execute rebels who resisted their rule. When India gained independence, the people reclaimed the banyan as well, making it their national tree. A Banyans are native to and thrive in what's now India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, but these days variations of the majestic trees can be found in other tropical regions, such as areas of Florida. In some places, they've even become invasive. There's also one famous species representative on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the Lahina banyan tree, planted in eighteen seventy three and presented to the sheriff in town by missionaries from India. Now forty feet or twelve meters tall, the Lahina banyan has a canopy circumference spanning a quarter mile that's about four hundred meters. Today's banyans aren't just beautiful and symbolic. The species also comes in handy for practical purposes. Alvarez and Shutsmen said this ability of tiny picus roots to become trunk like structures is used by the people of Megalaya, India to create footbridges across streams that become raging rivers during the monsoon season. They weave the tiny roots of our well known rubber tree another Ficus together to cross the streams. They enlarge and form sturdy structures that can live five hundred years or more and do not get washed away during the storms. However, although you may be tempted to grow your very own great banyan tree now that you know the unique magic of their aerial roots, they need some pretty specific conditions. Alvarez and Shutsmen said the best way to care for them is to give them plenty of space and warm, wet, humid weather. So most banyans don't make very good plants for regular home gardens. A few species have adapted to indoor environments and can be grown in bright in direct light with regular watering. However, they are not as long long lived as their relatives in the wild. Today's episode is based on the article the mighty Banyan tree can walk and live for centuries on how Stuffworks dot Com, written by Michelle Constantinofsky. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.