Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis

“Aerial roots drop from the branches and become new trunks. It colonizes itself.”

A single banyan tree can cover acres — the Great Banyan in Kolkata covers 3.5 acres and has over 3,000 aerial roots, each becoming a new trunk. India's national tree. Aerial prop roots drop from horizontal branches, touch the ground, thicken, and support the spreading canopy indefinitely. In Zone 10–12, a banyan given space becomes a forest. In Zone 9 it needs protection from frost. There is no more dramatic shade tree available.