Banyan << BAN yuhn >> tree, is a kind of fig tree that grows in India and other tropical countries. A single banyan has many trunks and can look like a small forest. The tree grows in a peculiar way. Birds drop banyan seeds into the top branches of palms and other trees. The seeds sprout in the treetops and branches develop. Eventually, the branches send roots down to the ground. These supports then enlarge into trunks and develop new branches. In time, the banyan kills the supporting tree by strangling it.
A fruit much like the edible fig grows on the banyan tree, but it is not good to eat. The largest banyan tree known is on the island of Sri Lanka. It has 350 large trunks and over 3,000 small ones.
The wood of the banyan tree is soft and porous. Its white, sticky latex is used to prepare birdlime, which hunters use in capturing birds. The banyan tree gets its name from the Hindu word banian, meaning trader.
