Indian Banyan

Linnaeus in his protologue of Ficus berghalensis cited Hort. Cliff., Van and Amoen: Acad. 1: 29. No specimens have been found that link with these references except for Van Royen’s sheet L 908186144. This specimen consists of a single leaf. No specimen of Ficus benghalensis is preserved in the herbaria in London and Stockholm and although Linn 1240.8 could typify Ficus indica L it could not typify Ficus benghalensis. The remaining elements in Linnean protologue are Commelin’s plate 62 and Rheede’s Peralu, Hort. Mal. 1: 49. t. 28. Since Linnaeus obtained his epithet from Commelin and Since Cited t. 62 in all his publications on this taxon, we have designated here Commelin’s plate 62 as a suitable lectotype of Ficus benghalensis in preference to Rheede’s plate and the Van Royen’s specimen.

A large, evergreen to deciduous, up to 20 (-25) m tall, with wide leafy crown and branches spreading up to 100 m or more with pillar-like prop roots and accessory trunks. Trunk massive, fluted, bark grey, smooth, young softly white puberulous. Leaves with stout, (1.5-) 2-6 (-8) cm long, do ventrally compressed hairy petiole; lamina coriaceous, ovate or orb ovate to elliptic, (8-) 10-20 (-25) cm long, (6-) 8-15 (20) cm broad, glabrous above, finely pubescent beneath, base subcordate or rounded, margins apically obtuse, lateral nerves 4-7 pairs, intercostals distinct, ± bulging stipules coriaceous, stout, 1.5-2.5 cm long, acute; cystoliths abundant on side, few or absent below. Hypanthodia sessile, in axillary pairs on young depressed-globose, 15-2 cm in diameter, green, hairy, subtended by 3, reniform c. 3-4 mm long, c. 6-7 mm wide, minutely hairy basal bracts, apical orifice by 3, flat or ± umbonate bracts, internal bristles absent. Male flowers: numerous ostiolar, shortly pedicellate; sepals 2-3; stamen solitary, with shortly mucronate anther. Female flowers: sessile, mixed with gall flowers; sepals 34, small; ovary with an elongated style. Gall flowers numerous, pedicellate; sepal as in female ovary with a short style. Figs globose to depressed-globose, 15-2.5 cm in diam pinkish-red, hairy.

Trees , evergreen, to 30 m. Roots aerial, often descending to ground level and forming pillar-roots Bark of trunks and older branches brown, smooth. Branchlets puberulent, glabrescent in age. Leaves: stipules stout, 1.5-2.5 cm; petiole 1.5-7 cm. Leaf blade ovate, 10-30 × 7-20 cm, leathery, base cordate, margins entire, apex obtuse; surfaces abaxially puberulent, adaxially glabrous; basal veins (2-)3-4 pairs, 1/3-1/2 length of blade, reticulations regular; lateral veins 5-6(-7) pairs. Syconia paired, sessile, orange or red, depressed-globose, 1.5-2 × 2-2.5 mm, pubescent; subtending bracts ovate, 3-7 mm, puberulous; ostiole closed by 3 flat or nearly umbonate apical bracts 3-4 mm wide.

Nepal, Pakistan, India; widely cultivated.

introduced; Fla.; Asia (native to Pakistan and India).

500-1200 m

Flowering all year.

Disturbed thickets; 0-10m.