Ficus religiosa L.

Description:

Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.THE TREE SPLITTER. Ficus religiosa L. Moraceae. CN: [Malay - Bodhi, Pokok ara suci], Bo Tree, Bodhi Tree, Sacred Fig). A Moraceae. This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism and hence referred to as Sacred Fig. The tree is worshiped and often described as "Sthaanuu" which means immovable.Why called "THE TREE SPLITTER"? Read the abstract text below.In ground trees, which are devoid of adventive aerial roots, supplementary conductive elements develop in trunk corrugations, forming distinct units with the large side branches above and their roots below. Unlike most epiphytic jungle figs, which ring the stems of dicotyledonous support trees from the outside, the epiphytic bushes of F. religiosa are not true stranglers. Their roots penetrate inside the stem of the support, eventually splitting it from within. The various factors indispensable for the penetration of the roots are discussed. In Nepal and Thailand, because the survival of F. religiosa trees for hundreds of years, there is an accumulation of very old trees, whose supports have by now disappeared or still persist in the form of broken and dead blocks of wood between the stout fig roots. Text abstract of an article by J. Galil - Ficus religiosa L.the tree-splitter (Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 88, Issue 3, pages 185203, April 1984).Ref and suggested reading:www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?16962en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_figwww.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a...ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokok_Ara