Banyan trees and fig trees are both mulberry fig plants, the flowers, because hidden in the expansion of the depression of the flower holder, is not easy to be seen, so the berries produced by the banyan tree are also called figs, some fruits are small and sweet, loved by birds. Banyan trees are very common, it prefers high temperature and rain, high air humidity environment, and long life, fast growth, side branches and side roots are very developed.
Fruitful fig trees
About 200 years ago, in a forest in Kolkata Howrah, India, a seed in the droppings of a hornbill fell from the air, landed on the tall branches of a banyan tree, and sprouted in the bark. During the growth process of the new tree, its branches not only have many sunken skin holes, but also grow many downward hanging air roots everywhere, like a big beard. The air roots continue to extend downwards, and once they reach the ground, the air roots grow rapidly, becoming very dense and strong, and they are dead wrapped around the trunk of the old fig tree, and slowly the whole old tree dies due to lack of sunlight and nutrients.
The air that hangs towards the ground takes root, supporting the continuous expansion of the canopy
The canopy of the new tree continues to expand, more aerosol roots grow downwards, and after entering the soil, they continue to thicken into pillar roots, the pillar roots do not branch and do not grow leaves, and their function is the same as other root systems, which have the effect of absorbing water and nutrients; at the same time, they also support the branches that continue to expand outwards, so that the canopy continues to expand, so that the circumference of the canopy reaches 1000 meters; the width of the canopy is second to none among all trees on the earth, the highest branch is 25 meters from the ground; the aerophytic roots that are vertical to the ground are as many as 3300, covering an area of about 22 acres. Forming the largest Indian banyan tree in the world, the Great Bodhi Tree. At its thickest, its main trunk circumference reaches 1.7 meters and a height of 15.7 meters.
This is a sacred tree, and thanks to its large number of gas roots, this view may look more like a sacred grove of trees, with shade covering almost 4 football fields. But to be precise, the Great Bodhi tree is not a single tree, but an asexual breeding community. Pilgrims from all over India gathered under this sacred tree, an incredible tree, like a living outdoor cathedral, where people even came to get married. Religious ceremonies are held everywhere, and the voices are constant, but there is still a sense of silence. Bodhi trees like the banyan tree, worshipped by people all over India, have been worshipped for thousands of years, and it was under the bodhi tree that the Buddha was inspired.
A single-tree fig tree
Hindus see the great bodhi tree as a dwelling place for the gods they believe in, and even the leaves are sacred. If you accidentally bring home a leaf you picked up from here, you should send it back immediately, or you may anger the gods. The Great Bodhi Tree is famous not only in India, but also throughout Asia. The object of worship of believers has been watching the Spring and Autumn Period for two centuries.
In 1925, after being struck by lightning, the Great Bodhi Tree fell ill. The trunk was cut down for decay in order to keep the rest of the tree healthy. The foundations of this vast sacred tree, as imperceptibly fragile and delicate as other figs, depend entirely on a small creature that is barely visible to the naked eye— the wasp.
The baby wasp is only a millimeter and a half long, and the female's ovipositor is twice as long. For most of their short life, they live in figs. Wingless brown males hatch first, followed by black females—winged bees that fly to another fig tree to lay their eggs. Females are desperately dragged out of their pupa by a male bee, using their short few hours of life to mate.
The female bee leaves her husband to fulfill her mission
Before the female leaves, it fills a special pouch with pollen, which will allow it to fertilize the next fig that lays her eggs. The male bee also has a final task, it stings a hole in the fig, allowing the female to leave with her future, while the male is buried in the fruit himself.
Banyan bee has a troubled life
(Illustration: 1. The female bee carrying pollen and fertilized eggs enters the inside of the fig from a small hole in the bottom of the fig.)
2. The female bee lays eggs on some of the flowers in the figs and pollinates the female flowers at the same time; and then dies.
3. The flower that is laid to the egg forms a gall, while the flower that does not lay eggs and pollinates will produce seeds.
4. After the figs are ripe, the offspring male bees take the lead in hatching and drilling out, and look for a new generation of female wasps inside the figs, and then get married.
5. Fertilized female bees emerge from their galls, and the male flowers of figs are ripe.
6, the wingless male bee will not leave the fig, it will dig an escape tunnel for the female bee, and then die.
7. The female bees are already covered with pollen before they escape, and they will flee with pollen and children.
8. The female bee carries the pollen and flies to another fig tree of the same species to look for figs that have not yet been occupied by the female bees. ）
The fertilized female bee took her precious pollen pocket and left her husband.
The female set off on a long journey in search of another fig tree of the same variety. Even if such a tree is found, the only way for a female wasp to enter another fig is through a narrow tunnel inside the fruit. Since the passage is very narrow, the female bee must shed her wings to pass. Once inside, the female bees look for a place to lay their eggs.
When looking for a suitable spawning ground, the pollen on the female wasp's chest will naturally shake into the flowers of the fig, thus helping the fig tree to pollinate. After finding the best position, the female bee then uses a long egg layer to lay the fertilized eggs inside. Once the pollination and spawning work is complete, the female will die herself. The female's body is absorbed by the figs, and its mission ends. Over the next few weeks, deep in the figs, wasp eggs develop and hatch. Then, there's the story of the next generation of female bees.
Each of the 900 fig trees has its own unique pollen-spreading wasps that grow such towering trees from such a subtle starting point. The big tree and the werep form a symbiotic partnership, and these little bees have undergone 80 million years of evolution, which is a unique partnership between animals and plants.
The fig tree may not be a sacred tree, but it is indeed a very special tree that determines the vitality of the entire forest. In the forests of India's Western Ghats, up to 70% of animals depend on fig trees. Fig trees provide food for a wide variety of creatures, including humans. Their lush pillar roots are used by playful lion-tailed baboons as scaffolding for climbing and playing. The numerous skin holes in the trunks of trees are a refuge for a large number of insects and occasionally become bird's nests. All of this helps to replenish the nutrients of the fig tree. The fig tree provides food and shelter for all kinds of animals, a place to play and play, and what more can this tree be asked to contribute?
Finally, do you think the large Bodhi tree, which covers an area of 22 acres, is it just a tree, or a group of trees?