Ficus benghalensis L.
Family
Moraceae
Synonyms
Ficus indica L., Ficus lasiophylla Link, Ficus banyana Oken.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Banyan (General), ara tandok, bohdi (Peninsular) |
| English | Banyan tree, Indian banyan |
| Indonesia | Beringin India |
| Burma (Myanmar) | Pyi-nyaung |
| Thailand | Krang, ni khrot (Central) |
| Vietnam | Da l[as] tr[of]n |
Geographical Distributions
This plant is originally from India and Pakistan but widely planted in Indo-China, Thailand and naturalised in the Malesian region.
Description
This is a deciduous to evergreen, wide spreading banyan up to 20(-25) m tall. It is supported with copious aerial roots. The bark surface is smooth and grey.
The leaves are arranged spirally, egg-shaped or broadly egg-shaped to elliptical size 10-30 cm x 7-20 cm. The base is heart-shaped. The apex is blunt to round, margin entire with 5-7 pairs of lateral veins. It is lately hairy below. The stipules are 1.5-2.5 cm long.
The male flowers are many and short stalked, with 2-3 segments of floral leaf and 1 stamen. The female flowers are sessile, with 3-4 segments of floral leaf.
The figs are paired and sessile, spherical to depressed spherical size 15-25 mm in diametre, lately hairy with orange to red or pinkish-red when ripe.
Ecology / Cultivation
F. benghalensis occurs in evergreen to deciduous lowland forest.
Line Drawing / Photograph
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References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1.
