The Banyan Tree - A Fasinating Large Specimen Grown In Warm Climates

The Banyan tree is part of the Ficus family and also known as a fig tree. Last week I had the privilege of visiting the Thomas Edison's Estate in Fort Myers, Florida. The splendid Botanical gardens are sprawled throughout the entire estate. One can get lost in history as you walk through this massive landscape of hundreds of different tropical plant specimens. We shot over two hundred photos throughout the afternoon and over the next couple of weeks, I am very excited about sharing some beautiful tropical beauties with all of you. Today, I wanted to show you one of the most intriguing and distinctive trees I have ever encountered. The size and the massive root system of the Banyan tree is superior to other specimens.

Fig Tree

Massive Roots

This ficus tree in the botanical gardens dates back in history. I had to juggle the memory bank and think back many years ago to history classes and the chapters on Thomas Edison. What I didn't remember about this famous man was the love he had of plants and his need to work on different projects using plant materials. He worked on several projects using Bamboo filaments, as well as white milky sap from plants. Thomas Edison was interested in finding a natural source of rubber from a latex producing plant. This was during World War One. He searched several countries looking for different plant specimens that could produce natural rubber. What is truly amazing is the 17,000 plant specimens planted on his estate for this sole reason. His friend Henry Ford gave Edison his first Banyan tree in 1925. The tree was around four feet high and two inches in diameter. This tree is in the entrance to the Estate today, and once you sat your eyes on this unique specie, you literally stand in awe of the enormous size. It measures around an acre and has about 350 roots.

Ficus Family

Ficus Tree

Edison's Ficus

Large Roots

The Leaves

This tree is considered the second largest Banyan tree in the world. The largest is located in Kolkata, India. Many of the Ficus trees are native in India and Asia.

Rubber Tree

This Rubber Ficus Tree is native to tropical Asia. Cambodia is also home to many of the Ficus. Hawaii also has some very large Ficus trees. This specimen is also known as a Fig tree and spreads out horizontally by using its prop roots. The tree bears fruit and birds take the seeds and the seeds germinate. The roots spread toward the ground and can attach to the main structure and that is what you see with the large Banyan tree above. The roots become all intertwined and also called a Strangler Fig.

Thomas Edison's love of plant specimens did not stop after planting several varieties of ficus trees. He admired the Royal Palm and planted a long row of them as well as many throughout the estate. The Royal Palm as well as the Banyan are planted around many landscapes in the Fort Myers area. This city is called the City of Palms. You definitely feel like you are in the tropics in Florida, but Fort Myers is distincively impressive with all the Banyan trees. Today there are several specimens of Palms from many different countries on the estate. I will be doing a page for you on these palms in the next week. He also loved fruit and ornamental trees. His wife Mina, loved aquatic plants and some of her favorites were the Water Lily and the Iris.

The Banyan trees are one of the most fascinating trees I have ever seen. Thomas Edison's estate is definitely worth a class, organization or family field trip or outing. This establishment is an education for any age. This is definitely another natural landscape, as well as creating memories through photography. The afternoon we spent walking through the pathways of history will stay with me for a long time. If you live in this area or plan to visit, the Thomas Edison Estate is a must. For more information on this estate you can go to www.efwefla.org.