Banyan Tree

Just to clear things up the Banyan tree is not really a tree, but a vine that surrounds a tree and then becomes a tree on it's own. This is a really cool tree, and I wish I had one. It is probably too cold here though.

These trees, as I said before, are vines that take over a tree to become a tree. They grow up to ten acres. How this happens is like this. Once the vine kills the other tree, it uses it as a prop. It grows huge branches that grow supports. The supports root themselves in the ground. Then the supports grow branches that in time grow supports etc. etc.

There are several species of this tree. There is two species from India, one from Hawaii, two from Florida, and one from Brazil. These trees vary in size from  10 acres to normal sized tree.

The Banyan tree can live up to 2000 years. To tell how old a tree is you look at how much space it takes up. When it is 233 years old it will take up one acre. If any one has seen a real banyan tree that is reading I envy you!

These are really cool trees, but I see now that if I planted one now I would not live to see it when it is huge.Too bad. I wonder if I could transplant one that is not so huge yet?