Banyan trees, AKA strangler figs, can live for centuries. They germinate in tree branches and grow aerial roots downwards. This stabilizes them so they can wrap around the host tree, creating pressure
Banyan trees, AKA strangler figs, can live for centuries. They germinate in tree branches and grow aerial roots downwards. This stabilizes them so they can wrap around the host tree, creating pressure
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Do they kill the host tree, or is it a symbiotic relationship?
Yes they kill their hosts! By applying pressure they “strangle” the host until it dies and rots away, leaving an empty hole in the center of the tree.
Front Street in Lahaina, HI has a great looking banyan tree near the harbor. Spent a bunch of time around there as a kid waiting for the ferry.