Bo tree, also called the bodhi tree or peepul, is a type of fig tree considered the sacred tree of India. Bodhi is a Sanskrit word meaning enlightenment. Buddhists believe that Buddha was meditating under a bo tree when he became enlightened with the principles of their religion. Bo trees are sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus.
The bo tree grows in India and southeast Asia. It reaches about 100 feet (30 meters) tall, with great spreading branches and large leaves. The tree starts its life as an epiphyte, a plant that grows on another plant. Birds carry the seeds to the branches of other trees. There, the seeds germinate (sprout) and grow down to the ground. Eventually, a bo tree with many trunks splits apart the original host tree. The leaf of the bo tree is triangular, with an elongated tip. The fruit is cylindrical and green-to-purple, with bright red specks.
The bo tree has many uses. For example, its bark is a source of paper. People make miniature paintings on bo tree leaves or feed the leaves to silkworms. A sticky substance left by insects on the branches of the bo tree is used to make shellac.
